Chapter 9: Night Attack
Five days later, we returned to the capital. Upon arriving home, I hurried back to pay my respects to my father and mother. This time, my father was busy with other matters and delayed his sacrifice to the heavens for fifteen days. It took me seventeen days to make the trip there and back. When my father saw me, he lost his temper for a while, but fortunately I told him I had been in seclusion at my master’s place for ten days, and that was enough to get past it.
Three months after our trip to Taram, there was a large-scale armed conflict among the bandits south of the Li River. The bandits of the major powers began to fight for territory. Shi Fengying’s men were also involved in this battle. I secretly provided him with weapons and equipment, helped him train his men, taught him some powerful martial arts, and occasionally provided intelligence. Sometimes I directly used monsters to secretly help . After seven months, the three major forces reappeared south of the Li River, each with 700 to 800 people, each dividing up the control of 100 li of road. One of them was Shi Fengying’s men. Although Shi Fengying respected me (and mainly Yuli) as if I were a god, people’s hearts can change, so I had no intention of letting him have exclusive control of the 300 li of road.
Since the Quanquan Gang’s forces were defeated, there have been no more robber gangs of medium or larger size robbing us. Every month, we have three groups of ten carts each heading to Talan. Talan’s Shuilanyuan has become a large warehouse and sales office. Since the Talan officials have received a lot of benefits from us, and Talan has received a lot of tax revenue from the sales, they have taken special care of our Shuilanyuan and specially assigned a team of people to guard it.
Three years have passed, and the salt in the salt mines has long since begun to be mined. Remember the girl Ru Shi from Yalanxuan? I transferred her to the northeast to oversee the sale of all private salt in the northeast. The people of Qidi Village were trained three years ago, and they have entered the northeast and even the south of the northeast. Under Ru Shi’s efforts, the private salt is transported along the Songhua River to the entire northeast. Under the strong temptation of gold coins and the provision of weapons, very few officers and soldiers will make things difficult for us. Mountain salt has long been uneconomical to mine. Through the clever use of intelligence, money and assassins, Ruishi has gained control of a large number of salt fields along the rivers and the sea. It is not that there have been no incidents of one group of people eating up another, but it happens from time to time. However, the intelligence network that was set up in advance has begun to exert a powerful effect. Under the guidance of the ears and eyes, the night assassins trained by Sister Sui have been dispatched time and time again, dealing devastating blows to enemies, potential enemies and potential enemies. Finally, we gained control of the entire sale of salt and weapons in the northeast.
For three years, we continued to supply weapons to the Silla king, but this guy was useless. After three years of fighting, he still hadn’t defeated the other two. But he did gain the upper hand, and the other two are now joining forces to fight off the Silla king’s attacks.
Most of the members of the Hidden Tiger Team, who were recruited in secret, have been sent by me to spy. Some of the members of the Hidden Dragon Team have stayed, some are hiding in various corners of the capital, and the rest are scattered in various countries on the mainland, some as soldiers, some as knights, and some as doctors.
“Recently, there has been some unrest in the northeast, and many gangs are eyeing our business.” Ru Shi told me through the teleportation stone.
“That’s nothing, wasn’t it the same the year before last!“ I said while nibbling on a peach.
”Our shipment to Songze was just robbed,” Ru Shi said casually. ‘The goods were weapons, a total of 3,000 sets. The buyer was from Chu Huai, and it is very likely that the second prince purchased them. Six hundred people died, and all 3,000 goods were looted, resulting in a total loss of 40,000 gold coins.’
I turned pale and stopped eating the peach. ”Do you know who it was?”
“It was done by Boss Yan of the Songliao Gang. He is a man of Lan Meiqing, but it is said that he also works for someone in the Chu Huai Kingdom.“
”It’s probably that Chu Huai prince!“ I threw the peach away: ‘Doesn’t that guy Yan want to live? Hasn’t he known in the past few years that my goods cannot be touched?’
”The three of them from the Demon Sect, Hailu Jian, Yinghua Hong, and Changkong Wu, arrived at Boss Yan’s Yanxin Fort,” Ru Shi said.
“So what?“ I have confidence in the people I trained. ‘But when are we going to clash with the Demon Sect?’
”In the past few years, we have secretly sold a lot of goods to the second prince of Chu Huai. Presumably, the prince of Chu Huai couldn’t stand it anymore and asked the Demon Sect to intervene.“
”Send someone to notify Yan Xin Fort tomorrow that the 3,000 goods will be sold to them, but they have to pay 50,000 gold coins. Also tell him that in the future, if he wants any goods, he can just ask us directly.”
“He probably won’t agree.“
”It’s fine, it’s just a show of force. Will he get into trouble for moving my goods?“
”Who needs to carry out the final task?“
”The Black Hand.”
Four days later, the men and horses of the 13 villages in the plains entered the northeast plains. A storm of bloodshed was about to sweep across the entire northeast, and the northeast, which had been peaceful for three years, would once again be covered in red.
In the middle of the night, 300 figures appeared silently a mile outside Yanxin Fort, followed by 200 more figures standing and flying, emitting a continuous low rumble. The leader gave a sign, and the 200-odd figures slowly infiltrated the fort like mercury seeping through cracks. The domineering iron needles were very effective, and the guards were unable to defend themselves. The first line of defense was torn apart silently, but the second line of defense had fewer guards, and it was impossible for 300 people to pass through silently. The leader made a complex series of gestures, and soon infiltrated again, followed by nearly 30 figures.
“Brother Yu, I’m afraid the Iron Salt Gang is really going to come hard,” a fat man laughed, and he was the boss Yan Jingyan.
“Don’t underestimate their strength. Someone who can rise to power in three years and control the entire private salt distribution network in the northeast is no ordinary person.” A tall man said, ”He is Gui Cuncai of the Hailu Sword Sect.”
“Three days ago, they sent word to us, asking us to hand over 50,000 gold coins, and also saying that they could provide us with goods.“ The fat man said, ‘Unfortunately, we don’t need any goods, otherwise it would be good to negotiate with them. It would be bad to let the Xianbei take advantage of us.’
”In this matter, Brother Lan cannot help us. After all, Northeast China is not his sphere of influence, and there is very little he can say. However, according to our secret investigation, none of the masters they have on the surface are famous.”
“This is terrifying. No one knows how powerful they are, and they are not afraid of anyone betraying them. They have trained all their experts themselves, and it is convenient for them to cooperate,” Ying Huahong said. This face is really a bit too exaggerated. No wonder it’s called Ying Huahong. It’s not just that this face is not good-looking, but there is not a hint of blood in it. Any flower in front of this face will be red.
“Most of their men are in the city, so there is a certain risk of being discovered if they attack at night,” said another man, Chang Kongwu.
“It is precisely because they are in the city that there is no danger to guard against,” said the fat man.
The gate of Yan Xinbao slowly opened, and the figure that was still outside the fort quickly rushed into the fort. Fires broke out almost simultaneously all over the fort. Shouts of killing, cries of ghosts, and cries for help filled the ears. Strong bows and arrows, murderous swords, and magic swords were terrifying. A small number of people in Yanxin Fort were killed during infiltration, and some still didn’t know what was going on when they rushed out of the barracks, and were instantly shot and turned into hedgehogs. Another three teams of 30 people kept entering and leaving the barracks. First, they charged in like a gust of wind. After entering, they threw their hands and shot a storm of iron needles, plus a bunch of fireballs, dances of flames, and so on. The entire Yanxin Fort was unable to organize a defense in a short period of time.
However, they were after all well-trained, and when someone stepped forward, Yan Xinbao immediately launched an organized defense and attack. Although they were still at a disadvantage, and although many organizers were shot dead, the situation had begun to stabilize. Yan Xinbao had a fighting strength of up to 2,000 people inside the fort, and although more than 700 had been killed, it still had an absolute advantage in numbers.
The group of more than 200 monsters finally arrived. The monsters, with their powerful destructive power, entered the fort and began to wreak havoc. They killed anyone they saw who was not one of them. The organized resistance was almost defenceless in the face of the monsters. At the mere sight of the monsters charging over, most of the people on the opposing side threw down their weapons and ran backwards, crying and wailing like ghosts and wolves. Facing the terrifying monsters, especially more than 200 of them, not many people could hold out. The whole situation finally spiraled out of control. The monsters rampaged through the fort, and the blood-red-eyed monsters could not be stopped at all. The people in the fort were intent on running outside, while the dark hands were constantly sniping the opposing experts and organized resisters in the shadows. At this time and place, where were the four ringleaders?
As soon as the shouting of killing sounded outside, the four of them immediately heard it.
“I didn’t think they would come so quickly.” Yan Jing’s eyes flashed with anger.
Chang Kong Wu gave a sign, and the other three nodded.
Just then, the door was slammed open from the outside. The four of them pushed with all their strength, and a violent gust of wind slammed into the door. The next moment, accompanied by the sound of breaking windows, three figures leaped into the hall. They launched seven fireballs, followed by a continuous sound of crossbows, and fifteen arrows that almost instantly burst out of the sky. Two large fireballs also flew in through the door, and as soon as they entered the hall, they turned into fire dragons that spiralled and danced through the air.
The airflow in the hall became disturbed, and faintly visible were the flashing shadows of people. Faced with the terrifying crossbows, these four people were too arrogant to dare to confront them. They only regretted their wrong judgment at the time. The enemy jumped in through the window first, and they lost their chance.
Ten people poured in through the door, and the two people behind them also came forward under a hail of arrows. “Great Spirit, answer my prayer and show the power of restraint.” The two Great Spirit Restraint techniques were cast simultaneously. The flashing figure of Hailstorm Sword suddenly paused, and the next moment it was pierced by three arrows. It let out a miserable cry and fell to the ground, his face full of disbelief before he died. Poor Hailstorm Sword, it had come all the way to the northeast and was tragically killed by arrows without even unsheathing its sword.
“Ka-chun, ka-chun,” the sound of an empty box rang out continuously. The twenty-four arrows in the box had finally been shot. The three people who had finally reached this moment roared at the same time, ‘Give me your life,’ and pounced on the three black figures that had entered first. ‘Aura Whirlwind’ suddenly appeared in front of the three. The three black figures quickly threw away the crossbows in their hands and immediately drew their swords and shields.
The magicians were Tai Donglai and Si Rui. Seeing their teammates charging at each other, they shouted in unison, drew their swords and charged forward. The sword energy burst forth, and as they closed in, the wind blades appeared unexpectedly. Kyle raised his great axe and charged out at the same time. The force of his momentum exploded, and the axe slashed at the opponent with astonishing speed. The two berserkers had just entered the hall and gone berserk. Now the serrated knives in their hands thrust forward, as if dragged by the knives, straight towards Yan Jing. The wind and thunder suddenly arose on the knives, and the piercing shriek made people’s blood sink.
The knight in armor did not charge forward, but protected the magician, while Gopelia took an arrow and made ready to shoot. The other two took out another box of arrows and began to reload the crossbow.
The three people who were blocked by the atmospheric vortex let out a strange laugh and, without hesitation, turned around to face their enemies. They thought to themselves, “The enemy is too fast. If we really recklessly jump over the atmospheric vortex to kill the other three people, I’m afraid we’ll either die or be stripped to the skin.” The three of them cursed under their breath, “Damn it, why haven’t our people come yet?”
Outside the hall, screams could also be heard non-stop. Yan Jing’s guards had arrived. However, there were nearly twenty bows guarding the outside, and they could not enter for the time being.
“Hurry up and finish them off, the people outside can’t hold out much longer,” Si Rui said anxiously. Since the seven of them were entangled in battle, they were unable to use magic or bows and arrows to help.
In these three years, the eight of them had also learned countless extraordinary skills with their classmates, and they had made great progress in both martial arts and magic. At this time, the four of them were no match for the three experts from the Demon Sect.
With a loud bang, the seven of them finally separated, but the three from the Demon Sect immediately staggered. With a whoosh, Ge Peilia shot the long arrow in his hand. Yan Jing, who was slightly slower, screamed in agony as the long arrow pierced his left back and he powerfully lunged forward to add a finishing blow.
The two who had rushed towards the door pounced like lightning. The terrifying flashes of sword and knife light converged together to form a terrifying power, trying to forcibly slice open the door’s defenses.
Zhang Xiongcai’s spear twisted strangely, and seven spearlights danced between heaven and earth with bright flashes of light. At the same time, “Water Dragon Wave” and “Flame Dragon Break” appeared next to him. These were the composite magic spells “Twin Dragon Rendezvous” (which were comparable to seventh-level spells, of course, but the difficulty of casting them was reduced, and so their power was inevitably somewhat less), and the two phantom dragons charged straight at the two men.
Behind them, the Qianli brothers pounced again. The light of their swords disappeared and reappeared in a flash, slashing straight at Yinghua Hong and Changkong Wu’s waists. Kyle and Qiangli followed behind to provide backup.
“Wow,” Zhang Xiongcai spat out a mouthful of blood and fell backward. Under the terrifying Erji Xuemo True Power, Zhang Xiongcai’s Taiyi Xuegang, although he had achieved some success, was still not enough to resist the two men’s formidable power. If it weren’t for the timely appearance of the Shuanglong Society, the Erji Xuemo True Power would have immediately destroyed his internal organs.
A violent whirlwind suddenly formed in the crowd. Although the magician used a “wind screen” to block it in time, he and the other two teammates were still swept away from the door. There were two more arrow sounds, but the two advancing Demon Sect members staggered first. The two arrows that were supposed to be fatal missed miraculously. Seeing that the two were about to escape from the hall, Qian Li’s serrated knives rushed furiously. Ying Huahong had no choice but to turn around and fight hard. He made a horizontal slash, but his real intention was to jump out by using the force.
However, Qian Li’s Taiyi Xuangang rotated to form a gravitational force, which attracted the sword and the person back. As soon as Jian Gang made contact with Qian Li’s knife, it shattered into dozens of pieces, which flew out with great force. Ying Huarong was stabbed into a hornet’s nest by the fragments of the sword without even letting out a cry.
Chang Kong Wu ignored the serrated blade and continued to dash forward, but the gravitational pull of the Taiyi Xuan Gang still dragged him for a moment. This drag caused Qian Liang’s blade to strike Chang Kong Wu in the back, but he heard the sound of metal clashing against metal. It turned out that there was an iron piece protecting him.
Chang Kong Wu sputtered a mouthful of blood. Despite the iron plate and the power of the Er Di Xuan Mo protecting his body, his internal organs were still seriously injured. However, with the power of this slash, he managed to successfully escape out of the hall. Once he was out of the hall, he hurriedly ran south, as if he had used the Earthen Escape technique, and disappeared in an instant.
Unexpectedly, one person still managed to escape. The people in the hall looked at each other for a few moments.
“Retreat,” said Taidong, and quickly led Zhang Xiongcai and the other 12 people out of the hall. As soon as they reached the roof, they saw a group of people charging into the hall, followed by another group of people chasing after them.
Nearly thirty people quickly retreated, with those holding arrows in their hands forming the rear guard. From time to time, the sound of arrows whistling through the air could be heard. Seven of the thirty people died, and there were still dozens of people chasing after them. But just as they crossed over a building, a string of bows sounded, and more than half of the people chasing them immediately fell. However, it turned out that the people on the outside had already broken in. Suddenly, there was an unusual sound in the air, the cry of a flying dragon. A violent whirlwind suddenly lifted up the enemy’s standing house, and a dozen people screamed as they flew through the air. This was the result of the three flying dragons joining forces to perform the flying dragon spin.
After reuniting with the people from the main force, Taidonglai immediately ordered, “Blow the whistle and retreat immediately.”
The shrill whistle sounded over the sky of Yanxinbao. As soon as the retreat signal sounded, the sound of continuous explosions could be heard. Those were the flames used to block the pursuit.
Troops from all directions quickly ran towards the direction of the castle gate. The monsters that heard the whistle seemed to come to their senses and began to run back, trying to exit Yanxin Castle. The leaderless castle people saw that the enemy had retreated and none of them chased them out. The three squadrons of the Black Hand easily retreated.
The next day, the people and horses of the 13 villages in the plains set out and used coercion and enticement to take over the property that had belonged to Yan Xinbao and finally incorporate it under their own name. As Ruo Shi had said, they wanted the people of the Demon Sect to become blind and deaf in the northeast, so all the local snakes in the northeast mobilized to gather all kinds of information, and people were constantly being killed in various places. Due to the chaotic situation in the northeast, the constables generally paid little attention to the vendettas, not to mention the fact that we had left no evidence behind, so our business was not affected in any way.
I continued to live my life carefree, not knowing that something that I should call either good fortune or misfortune was about to happen.
In the spring of the twenty-ninth year of Zhaoren (1625), the Battle of the Varna Plains began.