Chapter 16: Fortified Village
The fleet arrived at Wucheng County during the hour of the Ox. Five thousand troops immediately disembarked and assembled, preparing to strike.
Seeing the five thousand men completely silent as they quickly formed ranks, Xiahou Bupo, watching from afar, nodded secretly and said to Xiahou Lei, “Second Uncle’s vision is truly sharp. I didn’t expect this man to be accomplished in both civil and martial affairs.”
“Of course, the old ginger is the hottest!” Xiahou Lei smiled proudly, deeply inhaling the refreshing night breeze. He felt his blood boiling uncontrollably throughout his body.
Finally, the moment to act had arrived!
Back then, when the Xiahou Clan devised this grand plan, he had volunteered to serve as the Imperial Envoy. By all accounts, he was the most suitable candidate. But his older brother Xiahou Ba worried that he would be led astray by wine and women, and delayed giving approval.
That humiliation of not being acknowledged by Older Brother even in old age filled Xiahou Lei with shame and anger. He patted his chest and publicly signed a military order, guaranteeing no alcohol, no women, and no delays along the way. Only then did Xiahou Ba reluctantly agree, but he still sent Xiahou Bupo to accompany him—plainly, he still didn’t trust him!
Now, he had perfectly fulfilled his own mission! As long as the next operation succeeded, he could pat his chest and tell his brother he had not failed the mission!
Would it succeed? Xiahou Lei had no doubt! The Xiahou Clan had planned flawlessly. As long as Lu Xin completed the encirclement, they could catch them in a jar!
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Before This Dynasty unified the realm, the world was in chaos for three hundred years, with lives ruined and people worse off than dogs. Countless heroes and wealthy magnates gathered their clan members and old acquaintances, establishing thousands of fortified villages and strongholds to protect themselves in the turbulent times.
At that time, almost all great aristocratic families relied on fortified villages as their foundation to shelter clan members and continue their bloodlines. Some fortified villages, after centuries and over a dozen generations of constant repairs and expansions, grew larger than ordinary villages or towns. Their walls were even sturdier than the government city walls. Moreover, the young men inside inherited skills generation after generation and shared a common enemy, their combat prowess far exceeding ordinary troops. Thus, the local warlord regimes everywhere were greatly troubled by these fortified villages and could only avoid them to maintain peace.
It was not until after This Dynasty unified the realm that the Founding Emperor, with the might that swept the six directions, issued an edict to dismantle all fortified villages under heaven. After twenty years of arduous struggle, most fortified villages disappeared, but some persisted. These were either in remote locations beyond the Imperial Court’s reach or sheltered by the Seven Great Noble Clans, leaving the Imperial Court helpless.
Bai Liu Village fortified village did not fall into either category. Its survival under the Imperial Court’s suppression was due to the Wucheng Zhou Family! The Zhou Family was a powerful family of Jiangnan. In the past, their status in the Southern Dynasties was no less than that of today’s Seven Great Noble Clans. After Great Qian fell, unlike those defiant Jiangnan powerful families, the Zhou Family quickly submitted to Great Xuan and actively cooperated with the Imperial Court to stabilize the region and control the people, becoming a model great clan in the eyes of the Imperial Court.
For this, the Founding Emperor issued multiple edicts praising the Zhou Family. Considering that the Zhou Family was ostracized by the Jiangnan powerful families, he specially permitted them to retain their fortified village for self-defense. With the Emperor’s approval, the Zhou Family went against the tide: while others were forced to dismantle their fortified villages, they greatly expanded theirs! Over ten years, Bai Liu Village fortified village expanded several times in scale. From afar, it looked like a small city, inspiring fear at first sight!
At the hour of the Tiger, Lu Xin led the army to appear before Bai Liu Mountain. Looking at the walls stretching several li and over two zhang high, everyone drew in a cold breath.
Xiahou uncle and nephew also grew solemn. They had originally thought deploying five thousand troops to attack Bai Liu Village was like using a cow’s knife to kill a chicken. But upon seeing the site, if they were not careful and alerted the enemy, leading to a strong assault, their forces might be far from sufficient…
“Can Lu Xin pull it off?” Xiahou Lei couldn’t help but worry inwardly: “How about calling in troops from Danyang to assist…”
“The arrow is on the string; it must be fired!” Xiahou Bupo resolutely shook his head: “We can only use the man without doubting him!”
Xiahou Lei watched the Lu Xin preparing to attack the city ahead with anxiety, randomly praying to the gods and Buddhas in the sky…
Lu Xin remained calm. He pointed at the pitch-black fortified walls and said to the over two hundred elite strong soldiers before him: “This period is when the guards are most lax. You must seize the chance to reach the base of the walls!” Pausing, he instructed in a deep voice: “After climbing the city wall, open the city gate at once to let the army enter!”
“Yes.” The over two hundred elite soldiers replied in low voices and turned to go.
Lu Xin called back the leading colonel and lowered his voice: “If it can’t be done, withdraw immediately. This official will bear all responsibility!”
The colonel was stunned for a moment, then deeply saluted Lu Xin before turning to catch up with his men.
The fourth watch is when people sleep the deepest, so thieves often choose this time to break into homes and steal, hence the fourth watch is also called the time of dog theft!
Over two hundred elite soldiers dressed in black with faces smeared in pot-black soot thus crept toward the fortified village at the time of dog theft, stooping low. These soldiers’ martial arts were not exceptionally high, but their training was extremely disciplined. They moved silently through the darkness, quietly removing the outer barricades, then slowly swam across the moat. When they crawled to the foot of the wall, the guards above still had not noticed.
Although they succeeded so smoothly thanks to detailed prior intelligence, the soldiers’ superb qualities still made the observing Xiahou Bupo secretly applaud. To train a group of ordinary soldiers to this level, this Lu Xin was truly impressive!
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The over two hundred elite soldiers lay motionless at the foot of the wall, looking toward their colonel.
The leading colonel pressed his ear tightly against the wall, carefully listening to the footsteps above. After a full cup of tea’s time, he raised his head and sideways hurled the flying claw in his hand toward the wall top!
Seeing this, the other squad leaders also vigorously threw their flying claws toward the wall top!
A few light clangs, and the flying claws with long ropes sailed over the wall top, hooking onto the battlements. With a hard tug, the ropes tightened, and the soldiers climbed toward the city wall top hand and foot together!
In a few breaths, the colonel led a dozen men onto the city wall top, holding weapons in a fan formation to stand guard!
Behind them, the advance soldiers were continuously climbing up. At this moment, a few points of lantern light approached from afar—that was the patrol squad of village guards returning!
Just about to be discovered, the soldiers gripped their weapons tightly and held their breath, preparing to fight!
The colonel’s heart shrank into a ball, beansized sweat beads rolling down his cheeks. According to prior intelligence and actual observation, the patrol should have fifty breaths before returning. For some reason, they had turned back early!
Though the enemy was few, any fight would expose them, thwarting the plan to seize the gate!
The colonel was in a dilemma when suddenly a soldier beside him darted out silently like a bat, reaching the squad of village guards ten zhang away in the blink of an eye!
The fourth watch is when people are most fatigued. The village guards had patrolled half the night, exhausted to the extreme, so their patrol distance kept shrinking, and their return was naturally earlier than expected. They were shuffling along, yawning nonstop, when suddenly a fierce wind hit their faces!
The village guards blankly looked up to see an uninvited guest in black clothes holding twin sabers right in front of them!
The village guards jolted awake; some drew knives to fight, others to shout alarm! But the opponent turned into a phantom, charging straight into their midst! The twin sabers in his hands fluttered like butterflies, each slash cutting a village guard’s throat!
In an instant, that black-clad reaper of souls pierced through the village guards’ ranks!
And those village guards fell straight to the ground like felled sugarcane, clutching their throats, unable to even cry out from start to finish…
By the light of the fallen lanterns, the soldiers saw him twirl a pair of saber flowers in the air, flinging blood beads from the blades, then sheathe the twin sabers and stride toward the gate tower!
“What are you standing around for? Follow him!” The colonel was baffled at how such an expert had appeared among his men, but now was not the time to investigate!
The soldiers followed the man forward. Along the way, they encountered two more patrol squads, all silently taken out by that reaper of souls without needing their help.
They still had not been exposed even upon reaching outside the gate tower…
At this moment, the black-clad man suddenly stopped and frowned, looking toward the inside of the fortified village. The soldiers involuntarily stopped too, waiting for his next move.
Who knew that the next moment, the black-clad man leaped down the several-zhang-high wall, vanishing into the pitch-black fortified village.
Clearly, he would not continue escorting them. The colonel felt no regret and said solemnly to his men: “He’s already brought us to the doorstep. If we can’t take it from here, we might as well jump down and die!” With that, he led the charge into the gate tower!
The soldiers, infected by the black-clad man’s god-slaying momentum, were boiling with hot blood and closely followed the colonel inside!
The gate tower was dimly lit. Dozens of on-duty village guards were lying or sitting there dozing, even snoring audible from outside. In their view, with patrols outside, there was nothing to worry about.
Besides, who would dare provoke the Zhou Family?
As a result, the excited government soldiers rushed into the gate tower and chopped through them like cutting melons and vegetables, slaughtering these half-asleep fellows clean!
The colonel dropped his weapon and teamed up with two squad leaders to turn the winch. The suspended drawbridge slowly descended. In the quiet dawn, the creaking of the iron chains was especially clear!
