Chapter 942: Chapter 542: Sealing Off the Long Street, Confronting Zhao Shixiong (Part 2)
A squad of rebel soldiers was stationed here. In the darkness, a patrolling guard suddenly paused, rubbing his eyes:
"Did you just see a shadow seem to fly by?"
His companion was startled, gripping his longsword and looking around, then sighed in relief and cursed:
"You must be seeing things. This is just a small warehouse, who could possibly come here? With tens of thousands of troops searching in the city, even that Yama Zhao would have to run in fear."
"Is that so?" A cold female voice sounded from behind.
"Of course—" the guard responded instinctively, then suddenly stiffened, a chill running up his spine. He instinctively drew his sword, but a blood-stained sword had already pierced through his chest.
"Enemy attack—" another shouted, took only a few steps, and fell into a pool of blood as well.
Expressionless, a copper-colored, ancient face armor covering her face, a heroine-donned Shadow Guard named Hong Ye calmly slaughtered the small squad.
Then she doused the warehouse with tung oil, picked up a torch, and casually tossed it.
"Whoosh!"
The flames suddenly erupted, a brilliant beacon in the night, incredibly conspicuous!
"Leave at once, go to the next location. The lord’s order is clear: create chaos to cover the true objective. Cough, cough... We don’t need to fight the rebels head-on."
In the darkness, the code-named "Scholar" Gold Shadow Guard walked over, covering his mouth.
Hong Ye glanced at him and coldly said, "You better take care of yourself first."
The Scholar smiled, "I’m not good at fighting, but I’m quite meticulous. I still have to watch over the backup team to ensure a smooth retreat. I won’t be acting with you next."
The cold-hearted heroine Hong Ye lifted her sword and walked away, "Also remember, our primary mission is to protect the governor. Compared to his safety, nothing else matters."
The Scholar smiled, turned, and disappeared into the night, where in various directions of Yongjia City, flames were lighting up one after another.
He was responsible for overseeing the retreat tonight, leaving no room for error as he blended into the darkness, vanishing.
...
"Crash—"
North of Yongjia City, on the boundary between Linfeng and the Huai River.
Under the cover of night, a Capital Camp army silently reached the riverbank, a vast number of soldiers throwing prepared "pontoon bridges" into the river, as the Sharp Blade Camp risked crossing to eliminate hidden sentries on the opposite side.
"With such a commotion, the opponent will soon react. Though this river isn’t wide, Zhao Shixiong destroyed the land bridges on both sides, making the Yongjia River a natural barrier."
Yuan Feng, the Five Army Camp Commander, stood on the northern riverbank, speaking in a deep voice, his square face full of seriousness.
Lang Shiba and Ji Yue stood nearby, saying nothing.
Even Magistrate Sun Xiaozhun had come, his crimson official robe as dark as ink in the night, and he said, "The governor sent a message, instructing us to feign an attack tonight, not for conquest but to create enough of a scene. So tonight’s battle isn’t meant to succeed. Of course, if Zhao Shixiong does nothing, we can seize this place as a foothold for subsequent offensives."
Yuan Feng nodded in agreement, suddenly grinning as he patted the Divine Might Cannon beside him, "If so, it’s a good chance to test this thing’s power."
The Divine Mechanism Camp, following Xue Shence, had headed to the Eastern Front to fight with Prince Jing, leaving behind some firearms.
When Qingzhou fell, Yuan Feng had witnessed its might, and he was excited to handle it personally this time.
Without hesitation, the artillerymen adjusted the cannon’s aim and lit the fuse.
Moments later, an ear-shattering blast alarmed the rebel army on the southern bank.
...
...
Zhao Douan gripped the Fearless Stick, the Golden Bell Shield slowly revolving around his body, walking through the night.
Thick drops of fresh blood dripped from the end of his long stick, forming a line on the bluestone pavement.
"It’s getting chaotic," Zhao Douan raised his head, gazing at the clusters of flames rising in the city’s darkness.
He knew well that Song Jinxi and the others had already begun their operations.
And as the Shadow Guards continued their killing, the patrolling rebel units seemed to gradually respond and started gathering.
Two squads gathered into a team.
Two teams gathered into a company.
Two companies gathered into a battalion...
With their increasing numbers, even Zhao Douan didn’t dare to engage them directly.
Beside his ear, the night wind carried chaotic cries and shouts.
Zhao Douan was getting closer to the government office.
He stopped, walked to a relatively quiet street, took out a porcelain bottle, and swallowed a handful of Qi-restoring pills.
Along the way, he would take a pill after eliminating a squad, maintaining his Qi Sea’s fullness at all times.
This time was no exception.
Once he felt his Qi Sea gradually replenishing, he tossed the porcelain bottle aside, lifted the Fearless Stick, and was about to strike again, but his steps suddenly halted!
Zhao Douan looked up, intensely watching a figure that appeared at the end of the street.
It was a middle-aged man of about forty or fifty, short and stocky, with a thick, bristly beard, barehanded, without armor, only wearing a loose martial artist’s outfit.
Wearing cloth shoes.
He didn’t seem remarkable, but Zhao Douan felt like he was being stalked by a beast, his muscles almost instinctively tensing, his hair standing on end, sensing a strong premonition:
Despite the vastness of heaven and earth, he couldn’t escape this long street.
"Zhao! Shi! Xiong!"
Zhao Douan clutched the Fearless Stick, using its power to dispel his innate fear in facing a strong opponent.
He fixed his gaze on the person, whose face became clearer under the moonlight, and articulated the name!