Shuozhou, the General Zhenbei's Mansion.
A few more days passed.
Zhao Muyun looked at the secret report presented by Shen Qian with a glare as sharp as a knife.
"Xiao Lie is finally going to meet in person with Beidi's strategist, Fan Wenjing. The location is set to be Black Wind Stronghold... It seems they are so eager to finalize the loan of troops that they don't even consider the risks."
Shen Qian said in a deep voice: “General, although Black Wind Village is within the Jinyang sphere of influence, its west is adjacent to the Luliang Mountains, and the terrain is complex.”
"Should we use those two 'special forces' in the mountains?"
Zhao Muyun walked to the huge map of mountains and rivers, and pointed his finger precisely at the junction of Luliang Mountain and Heifengzhai.
"He Yunfei, the leader of Qingfeng Village, and Xu Yunlong, the leader of Menghu Village... When I subdued them on the Yanzhou Road, I was planning to strike a blow from behind at the critical moment for King Jin."
"Now that Prince Jin's life and death are unknown, and Xiao Lie has usurped power and colluded with foreign invaders, it's time for them to be put to use."
He turned around and said decisively, "Pass my secret order. Instruct He Yunfei and Xu Yunlong to secretly move towards the vicinity of Black Wind Village."
"Their mission is: First, disrupt the meeting between Xiao Lie and Fan Wenjing; second, seize or destroy as much of the gold and silver Beidi used to support Xiao Lie as possible; and third, escape unscathed without revealing any connection to Shuozhou."
"I heard that Fan Wenjing is a trusted advisor to the Zuo Xian King. If he can be captured alive or killed, it will be a huge blow to the Northern Di people, but it will also completely infuriate Xiao Lie and the Zuo Xian King."
Fan Nan reminded him that he was now more involved in Shuozhou's internal affairs, but he also often made suggestions on military planning.
Zhao Muyun sneered, "We and the Tartars are sworn enemies. Since they dare to collude with us, they must pay the price."
"Tell the two village chiefs, He and Xu, to act according to the situation. If there is a chance, don't hold back! But it must be done cleanly and neatly, like a pure bandit raid."
"yes!"
Shen Qian accepted the order and immediately went down to arrange for the order to be delivered through secret channels.
…
Deep in Luliang Mountains.
He Yunfei, the leader of Qingfeng Village, was dressed in a neat and sturdy shorts and was wiping the sharp saber in his hand.
The 300 cavalrymen under his command are now all equipped with high-quality war horses and composite iron armor secretly delivered from Shuozhou, and their combat effectiveness is much better than before.
Xu Yunlong, the leader of the Menghu Village, is a taciturn man who is adjusting a strong bow.
The more than 200 brothers in his village are all born as hunters in the mountains and have accurate archery skills. Now they have also switched to the third-generation compound bows specially made by the Shuozhou workshop.
An inconspicuous carrier pigeon landed in the village, bringing a secret order from Shuozhou.
He Yunfei read the secret order, a flicker of excitement in his eyes: "General Zhao is finally using us! Black Wind Village... that's a tough nut to crack, but it's sure to be lucrative!"
Xu Yunlong checked his quiver and said simply: "Ambush, rob gold and silver, and kill the Tartars."
The two of them quickly gathered their backbone members and, relying on their familiarity with the terrain of Luliang Mountain, quietly infiltrated towards Heifengzhai.
They were like two ghosts, blending into the mountains.
That night.
The hall of Black Wind Village was brightly lit.
Xiao Lie was dressed in casual clothes, but with a long sword on his waist, he looked imposing.
Sitting opposite him was Fan Wenjing, the chief strategist under the throne of King Zuoxian of Beidi.
A middle-aged scholar with sinister eyes and a goatee.
There were several heavy boxes placed on the ground between the two of them.
The lid of the box was open, and there was a dazzling yellow and white light inside.
This was part of the "sincerity" that Beidi brought this time, five thousand taels of gold.
"Mr. Fan, I agree in principle with Zuo Xian Wang's conditions."
Xiao Lie said in a deep voice, "Once I have unified Hedong, I will proceed as agreed. I only hope that your war horses and subsequent funding will arrive as soon as possible."
Fan Wenjing stroked his beard and smiled, "General Xiao is straightforward! As long as you open the gates, my Northern Di cavalry will definitely help you sweep Hebei and Shandong. Then..."
Before he could finish his words, an extremely sharp whistle suddenly came from outside the village, followed by deafening shouts and the sound of dense arrows breaking through the air!
"Enemy attack! Protect the general! Protect Mr. Fan!"
Xiao Lie's personal guard captain shouted loudly, and the hall suddenly became chaotic.
Xiao Lie and Fan Wenjing's faces changed drastically and they stood up suddenly.
On the wall of the village, the soldiers on duty were horrified to find that a large number of enemies had emerged from the darkness at some point.
Some of them rode on fast horses, galloping around the wall like a whirlwind, and accurately shot the defenders on the wall with bows and arrows in their hands;
The other part was lurking in the dark woods and behind the rocks, shooting arrows fiercely and accurately, almost every arrow hitting the target, forcing the defenders on the wall to unable to raise their heads.
"Bandits? Where did such powerful bandits come from?"
Xiao Lie was both shocked and angry. He could tell that the attack outside was very methodical, with the cavalry harassment and the infantry's precise sniping coordinated perfectly. This was definitely not an ordinary mob.
He Yunfei took the lead and led the cavalry to repeatedly attack the village gate, attracting most of the firepower.
Xu Yunlong personally led dozens of the best shooters, using the cover of night and terrain to sneak up on the village, using poison arrows and rockets to kill the officers in the village and the small leaders who tried to organize resistance.
In the chaos, several agile bandits from the Tiger Village used grappling hooks to quietly climb into the village, with a clear target in mind, and rushed straight to the hall!
Instead of fighting with the guards, they threw the kerosene cans they carried with them at the doors and windows of the hall, and then ignited rockets to shoot in!
"Boom!" Flames rose instantly and the hall was in chaos.
"Gold and silver! Move the gold and silver away quickly!" Fan Wenjing shouted in pain.
Xiao Lie was so angry that he almost vomited blood. He ordered his personal guards to put out the fire, protect Fan Wenjing, and deal with the cold arrows shot from nowhere.
When He Yunfei saw the fire in the village, he knew that Xu Yunlong had already gained some advantage. He whistled and the cavalry retreated like a tide without any desire to fight.
Xu Yunlong's sharpshooters also stopped shooting tacitly and disappeared into the darkness.
The entire attack took less than an incense stick of time. It came quickly and went away quickly.
By the time Xiao Lie regained his footing and sent people in pursuit, the attackers had already escaped into the complex Luliang Mountain area and disappeared without a trace.
After counting the losses, dozens of guards were killed or injured, and part of the hall was burned down.
What made Xiao Lie's heart bleed the most was that in the chaos, at least three boxes of the five thousand taels of gold were stolen by those "bandits"!
Fan Wenjing was still in shock, his robe sleeves were burned by sparks, and he looked in a miserable state.
He looked at the devastated scene and Xiao Lie's livid face, his eyes filled with suspicion and anger.
"General Xiao! This... this is what you promised was foolproof? Could it be you..."
"Mr. Fan!" Xiao Lie gritted his teeth and interrupted him, "This is sabotage! I, Xiao Lie, am committed to cooperation, and heaven and earth can bear witness to it!"
"I will get to the bottom of this matter and give an explanation to Prince Zuo Xian!"
But he was already filled with fear: these attackers were well-equipped and had sophisticated tactics; they were definitely not ordinary bandits.
"Is it Zhao Muyun from Shuozhou? Or some other opponent? How did they know the meeting place and time?
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