Chapter 188 Attacking the Stronghold
Lin Changning spun the grappling hook a few times, then hurled it hard towards the top of the cliff. He tried three or four times, but either he couldn't get a firm grip or he fell down again.
Lin Changning gritted his teeth. Time was of the essence; the longer they delayed, the greater the risk to the team ahead. With all his might, Lin Changning fiercely pointed the grappling hook toward the top of the cliff.
This time, it seemed that he had caught something. Lin Changning pulled down to make sure that he was firmly stuck, then wrapped his arms and legs around it and climbed straight up under the somewhat worried gazes of Lu Shan and the others.
In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Lin Changning successfully reached the top of the cliff. He glanced at the grappling hook and circled it twice around a rock.
Lin Changning put down the other bundle of rope he was carrying on his back, looked around, and then deeply hooked the grappling hook into another rock before throwing it down to them.
Lu Shan and Wan Jin were alright, climbing relatively smoothly, but the others seemed too terrified or frightened, and two of them got stuck halfway down the cliff.
The other person seemed to have lost his grip on the rope and almost fell, but fortunately, he was still attached to the rope at his feet. After adjusting his posture, he slowly began to climb up again.
The remaining two people still seemed unable to overcome their fear, remaining stuck in mid-air, their bodies trembling.
Lin Changning frowned, grabbed the rope and started pulling upwards. Seeing this, the others also helped pull the two people up.
The two people, whose hands and feet were trembling, were pulled up to the top of the cliff with the help of several people. Their hands and feet were limp and they were covered in cold sweat.
Lin Changning was somewhat disgusted. How could someone like this follow him to fight bandits? He was a weakling.
Lin Changning glanced at the two people who could barely move and sighed, "You two stay here, the rest of you come with me to open the door."
Wan Jin and Lu Shan quickly clasped their hands in greeting and accepted the order. As they were leaving, Wan Jin mocked, "Look, the soldiers you led were really bad."
Lu Shan was so angry his face turned red. He had walked a while, but he was still furious, so he turned back and kicked each of the two men whose limbs had gone limp. He pointed at them with his finger and said, "You've got some backbone. Go back and wait for me."
Wan Jin looked up, surrounded by several soldiers who had followed Lin Changning from Daxing and were seeing Lu Shan return.
Wan Jin patted Lu Shan on the shoulder: "Your men still need more training."
In a fit of anger, Lushan slapped Wan Jin's hand away.
He followed Lin Changning forward with his head down.
After sneaking into the village, the group quickly split up and silently made their way to various key locations within the village.
The group carefully avoided the patrolling bandits along the way, and Lin Changning approached the village gate swiftly like a ghost.
Lin Changning quietly dealt with the guards at the gate, and after reuniting with Lu Shan and the others, he opened the gate from the inside.
At this moment, the people on the tower also spotted the soldiers below and suddenly began to shout.
"Enemy attack!!! Enemy attack!! Boss!! Go get the boss!!!"
Almost as soon as he finished speaking, the door burst open with a bang, and Lin Changning pulled out the Cloud Piercing Arrow from his pocket. With a whoosh, the Cloud Piercing Arrow exploded.
Lu Shan picked up a broken knife from the ground and threw it hard at the person who was shouting. The knife struck the center, and one of the people upstairs fell down instantly.
Upon receiving Lin Changning's signal outside the door, Old Zhou grabbed a knife and rushed forward, shouting.
"Kill them all!!!"
Upon receiving the signal, the soldiers surged towards the gate of the village like a tidal wave.
At this moment, the bandits in the stronghold also realized what was happening, and many disheveled bandits carrying knives poured out from various rooms inside the stronghold.
The first dozen or so people rushed out and charged directly at Lin Changning, who was at the front.
Lin Changning slashed at a man's neck with his sword, instantly opening a gash in the man's neck, from which blood gushed out.
The man instantly went limp, and Lin Changning turned around and stabbed another man in the heart. In no time, the men who had rushed at Lin Changning all fell to the ground in disarray.
Old Zhou and his men had already rushed into the village. When they saw the blood splattered on Lin Changning's face, their hearts skipped a beat.
"Are you injured?"
Lin Changning wiped the still-warm blood from his face: "No injuries, let's take the village directly."
After saying that, he charged forward like a tiger descending a mountain, leading his men into a fierce battle. In an instant, shouts of battle and the sounds of weapons clashing mingled together.
At this moment, many bandits were awakened from their sleep and tried to resist with their knives, but the soldiers who kicked down the door held a knife to their necks.
As for those who picked up weapons from the room to resist, they were quickly dealt with by a group of people.
After Lin Changning and his men dealt with the first people who rushed out, he suddenly frowned and looked at a room not far away.
Wan Jin led his men to surround the area, but for some reason they couldn't take it down for a long time.
Lin Changning, carrying his knife, headed over there. He saw Wan Jin and dozens of men from Daxing surrounding the house, with seven or eight burly men guarding the door with large knives in their hands.
Wan Jin exchanged many blows with two of them, but he was still unable to defeat the group.
This group of men seemed somewhat different from the rabble outside. Lin Changning stepped forward and called Wan Jin back.
He squinted and met the gaze of the burly man at the front: "Is there someone in this room? I advise you to drop your weapons and surrender now, or you will be spared."
The leader spat, "Pah! Who believes you lackeys of the imperial court? If you have the guts, kill me!!!"
Enraged, Wan Jin raised his knife to strike the man, yelling, "Who are you calling names? You? You think I won't kill you?!"
Lin Changning reached out to stop Wan Jin: "Don't be impulsive."
Then, listening carefully to the sobbing coming from inside the room, he understood.
Her phoenix eyes curved slightly: "There are women, children and infants inside, right?"
The burly man at the head of the group felt a chill run down his spine: "If you're going to fight, then fight. Stop with the nonsense."
Lin Changning chuckled but didn't speak. Wan Jin took a step back and whispered, "Commander, this man's skills are not weak."
Lin Changning nodded to indicate that he understood, raised his chin and said to the man, "Let's have a fight. If you lose, you will drop your weapon and surrender. If I lose, I will release the people inside."
A man next to the man gently tugged at the man's sleeve and whispered something in his ear.
The man hesitated for a moment and said, "No, that would be too much of a loss for us. If you lose, release us and all the women and children inside."
Lin Changning couldn't help but laugh out loud upon hearing this. He raised an eyebrow at the man, then pointed at the surrounding soldiers with a contemptuous look and a hint of mockery in his voice:
"Don't you want to look at the situation? This place is full of my men. Whether you agree or not, taking you down is only a matter of time. You have no bargaining chips, and you still want to negotiate with me?"
After saying that, he pointed to his head and mocked again, "He's mentally ill and needs treatment!"
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