What Xu Di didn't expect was that these people were specially trained soldiers from the Northern Di, specifically for carrying out surprise attacks.

Caught off guard at first, about ten men fell to the ground. After a brief moment of panic, they realized what was happening and launched a fierce counterattack.

Xu Di was starting to struggle. Taking advantage of his familiarity with the terrain, he led the group westward. Xu Di knew that Ma Ming and his men had a secret camp on the western mountain, which was used to train special forces soldiers. Just a couple of days ago, Xu Di had gone there to work out a training plan with Ma Ming.

Xu Di was extremely exhausted, and his crossbow accuracy gradually declined. When he only had three arrows left, with five pursuers behind him, Xu Di felt that the accuracy of these three arrows would not be as good as it had been at the beginning.

While running forward, he also had to dodge arrows shot from behind. Suddenly, he felt a strong impact on his left shoulder, followed by a sharp pain. Xu Di knew he had been hit by an arrow. To be honest, at this moment, Xu Di regretted it. He had really been too careless.

But he couldn't give up until the very last moment. Xu Di gritted his teeth and endured the pain. He took out a smoke bomb from his pocket, which he had made himself. He casually tossed it behind him, and a cloud of smoke appeared behind him. Xu Di had added some chili powder to the smoke, and then he heard a violent coughing sound behind him. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Xu Di took out a bone whistle from his pocket and blew it hard.

This was the signal that Xu Di and Ma Ming had agreed upon. As long as they heard this signal, it meant that one of their companions was in danger and they had to rush over to rescue them.

Sure enough, Xu Di heard a rustling sound, followed by someone shouting, "Mount Tai!" Xu Di quickly replied, "Yellow River!" After doing all this, Xu Di collapsed to the ground.

Several people disguised with leaves appeared nearby. Upon seeing Xu Di, one of them quickly came over and said, "Young Master Xu, what brings you here?"

Xu Di saw that the person with the ash-covered face was Zhou Mingde and quickly said, "Quick, there are five Northern Di people over there. Cover your mouths with handkerchiefs. I've put something in that cigarette."

Upon hearing this, the group quickly pulled out simple cotton masks from their bags, put them on, and went into the smoke.

Zhou Mingde and his men returned shortly with three people bound hand and foot. Upon seeing this, Xu Di quickly shouted, "No, there are five! Continue the search immediately!"

Zhou Mingde took out a signal flare, released it, and said to Xu Di, "Young Master, I'll leave two men here with you, and I'll take a few brothers to search again."

Xu Di nodded and said, "Okay, you must be careful. The Northern Di people have already infiltrated the western gate of the city on the west side of the river. I'm afraid it's not safe there now."

As Zhou Mingde was about to leave, Xu Di beckoned to him. Zhou Mingde came closer, and Xu Di said, "There were twenty people in total. Besides these three, two escaped, and I wounded fifteen others with my crossbow bolts. I coated those bolts with medicine, so they'll be numb and unable to move after being hit. If you see them, don't worry about them. If you don't see them, it means they've been rescued. You guys, don't chase after them, come back quickly, understand?"

Zhou Mingde nodded, and Xu Di said, "You are the elite of the elite, so you must take good care of yourselves."

Ma Ming is now in charge of the special forces. The two who stayed behind to accompany Xu Di told him that Ma Ming was summoned to the camp by the Crown Prince this morning and has not returned. There are limited manpower left at the camp.

Xu Di still had an arrow stuck in his left shoulder, and his entire left shoulder was numb with pain. Xu Di felt that the cold sweat on his back had soaked through his undergarments.

Xu Di said, "This is not a place to stay for long. Let's take the men and go back to the camp first, and then make plans. Find someone who understands the Northern Di language and interrogate these three people properly first."

The three men, leading three bound Northern Di people, headed towards the camp not far away.

It was called a camp, but it was really just a few simple tents. Ever since Wei Lang figured out the benefits of special forces training, he had been leading his men to train in the mountains all year round. When it got cold and there were more things to do on the border, Wei Lang handed over the special forces training to Ma Ming.

Those left behind in the camp saw Xu Di being helped over and rushed over. They were shocked to see the arrow in Xu Di's shoulder.

The medic accompanying the team was still there. After examining Xu Di, he removed the arrowhead, applied medicine, and bandaged him up. He said, "Young master, the arrow was just an ordinary arrow. There was no medicine on it. When you go back, ask Doctor Zhang to prescribe two doses of medicine for you, and you'll be fine."

After Xu Di thanked him, a team member rushed in and said to Xu Di, "Young master, young master, those three Northern Di people said that the two who escaped were the fifth prince of the Northern Di and the fifth prince's personal guard."

Upon hearing this, Xu Di slammed his right hand on the table and said, "How come he was the only one who got away?"

The team member said, "They also said that the Fifth Prince was accompanied by the most elite guards from the Northern Di royal court. Young master, you are truly amazing, taking on so many powerful people all by yourself."

Xu Di said, "It's not that I'm better. I just seized the initiative by surprise. If we really fought face to face, let alone one of me, even twenty of them wouldn't be a match for them. You all know what I'm capable of."

Xu Di only recently started learning martial arts, and because of family matters, he hasn't had as much practice time as the people in the army. He relies on tactics, but in a one-on-one sparring match, these hundred or so people could easily defeat him.

Further ahead lies the defensive line. Xu Di pondered this and figured the Fifth Prince's target was likely this defensive line, not the North Gate on the west bank of the river. After all, that gate had not only been fortified in the summer but also raised to the same height as the East Gate, and it was heavily guarded. No matter how skilled these twenty men were, it was unlikely they could capture the gate in broad daylight.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!