madnovel Chapter 73: The Trap
Chapter 73: The Trap
"hurry up!"
A person was forcibly pushed into the tent entrance, stumbling and falling into everyone's view.
Wu He spoke up: "This is Yelü Zishan, son of the Xi King. He is going on this expedition with the Arudo cavalry."
Son of the King of Xi!
Upon hearing this, the eyes of those around him lit up, and they looked at Yelü Zishan with great interest.
The latter, being watched by so many powerful figures, had long been terrified and collapsed to the ground with a thud, his eyes darting around, too afraid to look up.
"good."
With his hands behind his back, Liu Qing smiled slightly and said, "Although you took the initiative to attack without asking for permission, you have made outstanding contributions on this mission, which is quite remarkable."
"We should be more cautious in the future and not risk our lives and fortunes."
Wu He nodded.
In Liu Qing's eyes, this trip was quite reckless, but fortunately, the outcome was good. Not only did they annihilate an elite cavalry force under the Western King, but they also captured his son alive.
In the current situation, this is certainly encouraging news.
After everyone had left, the battle report of Wu He's great victory spread throughout all the garrison camps on the south bank of the Baigou River.
Because of his young age, some people had not taken this newly appointed commander of the Imperial Guard seriously.
But this battle truly made Wu He's name known throughout the Xiongzhou garrison.
The next morning.
Bazhou City.
Before the pavilion and wooden platform, Wang Chengye held a piece of sheepskin intelligence, which contained only a few hundred words and was a military intelligence report originating from Xiongzhou.
"What incredible luck!"
After he finished reading it, he casually tossed it on the table. Wang Chengwei picked it up and looked at it, her thin lips pursed, looking rather unconvinced.
"That Xi King's son is also a good-for-nothing. He gave Wu He such great military merits for nothing. It makes people angry just looking at him."
The annihilation of the Liao heavy cavalry and the capture of the tribal prince occurred not far from the border between the two states, making it impossible not to feel envious.
Thinking about it this way, their scouts in Xiongzhou Town are really damn useless; they couldn't even find out the news of the appearance of the Xi King's son.
Wang Chengye pursed his lips and then said, "Forget it, it's not entirely a bad thing. It's said that the King of Xi loves his son dearly, so how can he keep Wu He for long?"
"A person with a short lifespan will not live long, and all his military achievements will be in vain."
"Fourth Brother, that makes sense, but I'm worried that Wu He will hold his ground and not come out because of it."
"That's not up to him."
Wang Chengye grabbed a steamed bun from the table and began to eat breakfast. At the same time, he said slowly, "Yesterday, my godfather sent a letter saying that General Shi has reached an agreement with my godfather to use Wu He as a starting point to suppress Hu Jie Army."
"Seventh Sister, just wait and see. It won't be long before this brat is going to have breakfast with the King of Hell!"
……
The war has begun on all fronts.
Both sides had been preparing for a long time, and once the main forces on both sides started fighting, it was an extremely fierce and all-out battle.
Over the course of several days, the Baigou River was stained crimson, with countless floating corpses and ferry wreckage drifting on it, and the gradually warming weather was creating a nauseating stench.
Wu He's Tiger Swift Army had been stationed in Yuping Town for several days, and it was quite peaceful, with only a few groups of defeated soldiers passing by.
At the time, he was still wondering why this shallow area, which should have been an excellent place for the Khitan soldiers to cross the Baigou River at minimal cost, was one of the quietest places on the south bank of the Baigou River.
He then learned the reason through the scouts of the garrison.
The reason is that this place is close to Bazhou, and some areas are interlocking. To the east, there are high mountains and villages that serve as a barrier. If the main force of the Liao army were to cross the river here, the Bazhou garrison could directly defend the mountains from a high vantage point.
High hitting low is like a father hitting his son.
That's why no Liao army was willing to cross the river from this point.
However, Liu Qing did not let his guard down. He not only placed Wu He's Tiger Swift Army there, but also added more than 1000 border troops, making the defense line there even more impregnable.
Early that morning.
After finishing his breakfast, Wu He went to inspect the defense line along the Baigou River, as was his custom.
Because of the lesson learned from the previous incident where the area was poisoned in a well and collapsed on its own, Wu He ordered his men to strictly guard the nearby rivers, granaries, and supplies after he took up his post. Even some tributaries that flow into the Baigou River were under surveillance.
However, just as he stepped onto the bank of a tributary, he heard faint human voices coming from the river, which was shrouded in a thin mist.
"Old Wu."
Not far away, Xiang Zeting waved to him. After Wu He walked over, he gestured with his eyes to the small boat on the river in the distance.
"Those people drifted here downstream about fifteen minutes ago. Do you think they might be Khitan spies?"
From a distance, the boat was shrouded in a thin mist, with a few figures on it, all dressed in ordinary coarse cloth.
The three stood, while a handsome young man sat at the bow of the boat, holding a wine jug and leisurely reciting something.
Wu He listened intently.
Fortunately, after Wu He mastered archery, his hearing improved significantly. Amidst the gentle sound of rippling water, he heard the young man reciting words.
"A single oar in the spring breeze, a single leaf-shaped boat; a single thread of silk, a light hook."
"Flowers bloom on the islet, wine fills the cup, freedom is found amidst the vast waves..."
It is poetry.
He frowned slightly.
In today's war-torn world, the appearance of a carefree and contented bard seems rather out of place.
However, the young man looked relaxed and at ease, while the three men stood still, their auras as deep as abyss.
Wu He glanced at them and his intuition told him that these three were no ordinary people.
Even when he looked over, one of the dark-skinned, thin men seemed to notice him, and their eyes met through the light mist.
Calm and indifferent, as still and undisturbed as a stagnant pool.
"How about it? Should we take him down and interrogate him?" Xiang Zeting asked in a low voice from the side.
Wu He shook his head slightly: "No need to worry about it. They are probably just those martial arts practitioners traveling around. We just need to send someone to keep an eye on them."
"Come with me. General Liu just sent word that there is military intelligence that needs to be dealt with."
This incident didn't take up too much of his time. After a brief inspection, he took Xiang Zeting back to Yuping Town.
After resting in Yuping Town for a few days, he finally had a task assigned to him.
Originally, a group of Liao Kingdom shamans were stationed near the battle line, and the disciples of the Celestial Master's Mansion were willing to go to fight them, so it was necessary to send people to accompany them.
The Imperial Guards are relatively free right now, so the task falls to the Tiger-Swift Army and the Crane-Controlling Army. Wu He and Shi Baoji each lead 100 elite soldiers to escort them.
They went to the battlefield near noon.
Led by Zhang Lin, the disciples of the Celestial Master's Mansion surrounded the group of Khitan shamans.
Wu He, Shi Baoji, and others then led their troops to attack the Khitan soldiers who were crossing the river from the surrounding area.
[Progress completed (No Return Arrow Skill maxed): 30/500]
……
[Progress completed (No Return Arrow Skill maxed): 50/500]
Wu He's arrows never missed their mark; any Khitan soldier who was touched by one died instantly.
A burly man, seemingly the leader, was enraged to see his men being harvested like weeds. He grabbed his long axe and charged forward with a roar.
Wu He glanced at him expressionlessly, then fired two arrows simultaneously, aiming straight for his eyes.
Clang!
Clang!
The burly man reacted swiftly, wielding his long axe to block all the attacks.
puff~
Caught off guard, his lower abdomen was vulnerable and was pierced by an arrow, knocking him off his horse.
He was incredulous, his breathing rapid. The arrow wound in his abdomen instantly aggravated the lingering ailments from his previous battles, causing him, a mid-stage cultivator, to die so hastily from just one arrow.
[Progress completed (No Return Arrow Skill maxed): 100/500]
"You don't have the look of a wolf, yet you dare to get close to me."
Wu He didn't take it seriously.
His mastery of the No-Return Arrow Technique allows him to perceive the weaknesses of close-range enemies with astonishing sensitivity.
The first two arrows exposed his weakness; the third arrow was what would take his life.
The perfected No-Return Arrow Technique is so unpredictable and deadly that, without an exceptional perception ability like the Wolf's Gaze, almost no one of the same level can remain unharmed under its power.
"Master Wu!"
At that moment, an urgent call rang out.
Wu He looked in the direction of the sound and saw Sun Lin pointing to a ridge slope where a large, dark mass of people was rushing toward them.
What about Shi Baoji?
That was the very battlefield where Shi Baoji had just been, but now all the Khitan soldiers turned and charged at them, and Shi Baoji's Crane Control Army had vanished without a trace.
Wow!!
As Wu He frowned, another loud noise came from the distant river, and more than a dozen dark brown figures leaped high into the air.
In an instant, numerous cold, murderous gazes locked onto him.
"They're coming for me."
His thoughts raced like lightning, and his hand immediately gripped the Plum Blossom Knife.