The guards waiting on horseback outside the gate spurred their horses forward!
"Kill--!!!"
The guards, clad in infantry armor, surged in through the gate, their horses' hooves pounding into the manor, their spears and sabers leaving gleaming trails in the firelight.
Where the blade flashes, flesh and blood fly!
The warrior monks in the village were thrown into chaos by the charge of the cavalry; some were knocked down by horses, some were cut down by swords, and some were pierced through the body by spears...
Outside the manor, Xu Jing had been keeping a close eye on the movements at the gate. Seeing that Wu Shuangren had successfully led his men to open the gate, he immediately Bai Jinhuan, "Take First Battalion and charge in!"
"Yes!"
Bai Jinhuan mustered ten battalions from the First Battalion and they lined up and ran towards the village gate.
After he led his men inside, he did not allow the militiamen to scatter and run around. They remained in formation, with shields in front and spears thrusting out from behind the shields, advancing in orderly ranks.
The sounds of shouting, clashing weapons, and dying screams mingled together, and the firelight cast long and short shadows. The carnage inside the manor resembled a scene from hell!
Fan Yu did not lead his personal guard cavalry into the fray, but instead immediately gathered everyone together.
He glanced to the other side, his expression somewhat complicated.
Xu Jing led the Second Battalion battalion to guard the outer perimeter, both to prevent the warrior monks from another village from coming to their aid and to Fan Yu!
Although this Yi Province military commander was willing to cooperate, neither Wu Shuangren nor Guo Jiwang trusted him and would entrust their backs to him without any precautions.
Song Qi rode up to Fan Yu's side. "General, this manor was destroyed far too easily. It seems none of the experts from Mist Hidden Temple are inside. Could they be in another manor?"
Fan Yu glanced at another village in the distance, then at the Mist Hidden Mountain shrouded in darkness. "We have no way out now... I can only hope that Wu Shuangren is powerful enough to truly destroy the Mist Hidden Temple!"
The fighting inside the manor lasted for about half an hour.
After more than a hundred monks were killed or wounded, the remaining monks, seeing that the situation was hopeless, threw down their weapons and knelt down to surrender.
Wu Shuangren stood in an open space in the center of the manor, his armor covered in blood.
He was prepared to fight the abbot of Mist Hidden Temple tonight, but he didn't encounter him.
Apart from encountering a few martial monks with fourth or Fifth Rank skills near the gate, we didn't run into any tough opponents.
"Could it be that Ciwen and his experts are all in another manor?"
Wu Shuangren glanced at the corpses and surrendered soldiers around him, then said to his guards behind him, "Have the brothers check the battlefield, treat the wounded, and then send someone to escort Mr. Guo in to find me."
Regardless, the Mist Hidden Temple lost over a thousand monks tonight, and we have won this battle once again!
131. A man from Mount Liang arrives; the map is unrolled, revealing the dagger.
The sounds of fighting inside the manor had completely subsided, and the night wind blowing in from the manor gate carried away the strong smell of blood.
Wu Shuangren stood in the courtyard, took off his helmet and tucked it under his arm. Two guards led Guo Jiwang over.
"Gentlemen."
Wu Shuangren forward, "We're attacking the manor tonight, but there aren't many experts inside. Ciwen and the other experts from Mist Hidden Temple aren't here."
Guo Jiwang frowned slightly upon hearing this. "The two manors are positioned to support each other. It's rather unusual that one is under attack while the other remains completely silent. If Ciwen is with a group of experts at the other manor, it seems as if he intends to cede this manor to us."
Although he judged that the enemy would not dare to come to his aid if he attacked at night, it was still strange that the enemy did not make a move from beginning to end and just watched as a village was breached.
"I have ordered the leaders of the warrior monks to be interrogated to see if we can get any information out of them."
Wu Shuangren said.
Guo Jiwang nodded. "In any case, the plan remains unchanged. We'll attack the second manor tomorrow morning!"
Everyone then went about their own business.
About an hour later, the interrogation yielded results.
Bai Jinhuan reported to Wu Shuangren, "Commander, eleven leaders in the village have been arrested and interrogated. None of them know where Ciwen is. Their orders are to guard this village."
Wu Shuangren frowned. If Ciwen really in the manor across the street, there was no reason not to let these leaders know.
Could the other party still be on the mountain?
"Was it because of that bloody battle in the forest? The opponent learned of Mother's First Rank strength and was worried that if Mother and I joined forces to deal with him, he wouldn't be confident of victory, so he dared not show himself easily?"
Wu Shuangren speculated on Ciwen's thoughts.
If that's the case, then it makes sense that the other side was waiting for the Mount Liang people to arrive before making their move.
"Commander, the battle results are in."
Chen Tie also came over at this moment and reported to Wu Shuangren, "We captured 829 monks, seized 227 sets of leather armor, bows and arrows, and other weapons. Our casualties are nine dead, eleven seriously wounded, and more than thirty lightly wounded..."
One of Wu Shuangren's personal guards was hit by an arrow while charging into the village on horseback. He fell from his horse and was seriously injured because he was wearing infantry armor. In addition, during the final mopping-up operation, eight militiamen were killed by skilled warrior monks, and more than a dozen others were seriously injured.
To capture such a village, killing over a hundred enemies and capturing over eight hundred, while suffering only a dozen or so casualties on our own side, is undoubtedly a great victory for the attacking side!
Bai Jinhuan looked excited.
Wu Shuangren said to Chen Tie, "The bodies of our fallen brothers should be properly disposed of. After this battle, we will send them back to their hometowns so they can return to their roots."
"Yes!"
Chen Tie accepted the order and left.
The village could accommodate several thousand people, and most of the militiamen were arranged by Xu Jing to camp outside the village, mainly the militiamen of the Second Battalion who did not participate in the battle that night were assigned to keep watch.
The summer night was sweltering, but Xu Jing ordered everyone not to take off their leather armor and to keep their weapons within reach.
After finishing his meal, Wu Shuangren casually found a room in the manor. Without even taking off his armor, he leaned against the wall, hugged his Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword), and closed his eyes.
After an unknown amount of time, someone called out to him:
"Commander-in-Chief! Commander-in-Chief!"
Wu Shuangren suddenly opened his eyes, his hand already gripping the hilt of his knife.
A guard outside called out, "County Commandant Xu requests your presence outside; he says there's been a situation!"
Wu Shuangren stood up abruptly, put on his helmet, picked up his longsword, and strode towards the outside.
He quickly mounted his horse and left the manor, a cool breeze hitting his face. He thought it was an enemy night attack, but the surroundings were eerily quiet, with no shouts of battle and no firelight.
He spurred his horse to a hill to the north, where Xu Jing was already standing.
What happened?
Wu Shuangren asked.
Xu Jing pointed to another village in the distance. "Look."
Wu Shuangren stared intently and saw a few scattered lights moving on the east side of another village, slowly climbing up the mountainside and all the way to the mountainside of Mist Hidden Mountain.
"The scouts report that the people in that village are retreating up the mountain."
Xu Jing said.
Wu Shuangren was stunned.
Retreat to the mountain? Abandon the defense?
Soon, Guo Jiwang also caught up from behind on horseback, having received news that the enemy was retreating.
Xu Jing said to the two men, "It's too dark, and we're not familiar with the road. To avoid a trap, I suggest we don't send anyone to pursue them now. In any case, since they chose to go up the mountain, they've walked into a deadly situation and lost the initiative."
Wu Shuangren looked at Guo Jiwang, whose brows Mad Osprey furrowed, as if he was pondering some difficult problem.
Guo Jiwang pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "County Commandant Xu is right. To prevent a trap, we don't need to pursue them now. We can send someone to check on the other village after dawn."
Seeing that both of them gave this suggestion, Wu Shuangren gave up the idea of leading his men to charge forward.
Xu Jing said, "The Mist Hidden Temple probably felt they weren't confident in engaging in battle and wanted to preserve their strength, so they proactively retreated to the mountain, waiting for the Mount Liang forces to arrive before launching another attack."
This assessment was consistent with Wu Shuangren's speculation, and Wu Shuangren nodded.
Xu Jing looked at him. "Mount Liang has 6,000 men. Even if they can't take the prefecture, they should be able to easily break through these two villages. I'm afraid you can't send people here to block the exit of Mist Hidden Temple."
Wu Shuangren smiled and said, "I brought my troops out this time not just to deal with Mist Hidden Temple."
Xu Jing was taken aback. "You plan to confront the Mount Liang forces head-on?"
Wu Shuangren: "The main force of Mount Liang has not yet arrived, but they will come sooner or later. If we do not take this opportunity to weaken their strength, things will only get more difficult in the future!"
Xu Jing remained silent for a moment, then his eyes hardened.
He nodded and said to Wu Shuangren, "You're right. In that case, I'll stay here with you and keep watch!"
His third uncle, Xu Dengyun, had already taken control of the Yi Prefecture City. He could retreat into Yi Prefecture City and still be of help, and it would be safer for him.
But this scion of a military family chose to stay and follow Wu Shuangren, determined to risk his life here!
Wu Shuangren a warmth in his heart and, without standing on ceremony, simply cupped his hands in Xu Jing. The two smiled at each other from horseback.
The next day at dawn, just as the first hint of light appeared on the horizon, smoke began to rise from the chimneys inside and outside the captured village.
The militiamen ate their breakfast in the morning light: dry biscuits soaked in hot water, along with pickled vegetables, and they ate with great relish.
Wu Shuangren has already sent a team of militiamen to investigate another village.
The gate to the manor was ajar; I pushed it open and went inside, only to find it empty.
The back warehouse was full, piled high with sacks of rice and wheat, at least a thousand bushels. The side rooms were stacked with bundles of swords and spears, as well as a large number of arrows.
This shows how hurriedly everyone left the village last night.
The militiamen who went to investigate thoroughly searched the village inside and out, but found no traps, no poison, no hidden rooms for hiding people, and no tunnels.
Only after learning of the situation did Wu Shuangren lead a large group of men there.
Next, he and Xu Jing began to arrange the defenses of the two estates.
Regardless of Mist Hidden Temple's plans, since the enemy has retreated back to the mountain, it's impossible for us to launch an attack. So, the next thing to consider is how to deal with the approaching 6,000 Mount Liang troops!
A moment later, a guard led someone in quickly:
"Commander, this man claims to be from the Flying Feather Hall and has important news to report."
Wu Shuangren looked at the newcomer, who was in his thirties, dressed in a short gray cloth outfit, and looked travel-worn.
Upon seeing Wu Shuangren, the man immediately said, "Militia Commander Wu, I am from the Flying Feather Hall. Hall Master Luo instructed me that any important intelligence must be reported to you immediately."
Wu Shuangren nodded. "Speak, what intelligence do you have?"
"I only received the news last night. Yesterday during the day, the Mount Liang group suddenly split up, with over a hundred cavalry abandoning all their infantry and heading towards Yi Prefecture City ahead of us. Our men relayed the message through the ranks, and by the time it reached me, a whole night had passed. Judging by their speed, those hundred-odd cavalrymen should be Yi Prefecture City by now."
Wu Shuangren's expression changed slightly. He nodded to the person who came to report, "Thank you for your hard work."
Then he had his guards take the other person to rest and gave them a reward.
He then sent someone to invite Guo Jiwang.
Guo Jiwang arrived quickly, and Wu Shuangren relayed the news verbatim.
Guo Jiwang's expression changed drastically upon hearing this!
"Gentlemen?"
"I know where Ciwen is!"
Guo Jiwang said with a solemn expression.
Deep within an alley in the Yi Prefecture City, there stands a grain trading company. While not the largest in the city, it is of medium to large size and has always maintained a low profile.
At this moment, the warehouse doors of the merchant house were tightly closed, with only a few oil lamps illuminating the walls.
Dozens of bald monks deftly retrieved pieces of iron armor from the wooden crates!
The clanging of armor plates was particularly clear in the cramped storeroom. The monks worked in pairs, helping each other to put the armor on each other.
They are wearing infantry armor!
The shop owner, surnamed Zhou, was a middle-aged man in his forties. When he entered the warehouse through the side door, he was startled by what he saw and his legs went weak.
This trading company was originally a property secretly acquired by Mist Hidden Temple, and the Zhou family members were all living in other places and were controlled by people from Mist Hidden Temple.
Five days ago, he received orders from the Mist Hidden Temple to transport a large quantity of 'grain' from outside the city under the guise of purchasing goods.