Li Yunqing asked, "What's wrong, Little Commander?"
Yang Qingzhi stole a glance at the city wall, concealing his joy, and whispered, "About 30,000 Jing troops have entered Nantong City from the north gate."
Li Yunqing asked, "The Jing Army that withdrew from Yingu?"
"Definitely."
Yang Qingzhi rubbed his fingers and said, "Zhao Yan and the others seem calm on the surface, but they are actually struggling because their garrison has run out of weapons. I didn't see Zhao Cheng today, so he probably went to arrange for reinforcements."
With that, Yang Qingzhi instructed the scout, "Go and inform the strategist that we can begin."
"promise!"
Yang Qingzhi brandished his sword and said, "Today we will launch another attack, as a way to cheer on our strategist!"
"Attack the city!"
"Attack the city!!"
"Attack the city!!!"
"kill!!!"
...
Three days later.
The valley on the west side of Silver Valley is covered with vines.
Insects crawl along the shape of the vines, and butterflies flutter.
Outside the valley, war raged, but inside, it was as silent as another world.
Suddenly, the vines began to tremble.
A long sword pierced through the vines, followed by a swirling burst of sword energy that shattered the vines.
Cui Wuming crawled out from inside.
Then there's Su Sheng.
After Zuo Zhu came out, he directed the assassins to come out quickly.
The trade route was narrow, and it would take some time for all three thousand assassins to come out. Su Sheng and Cui Wuming then surveyed their surroundings.
"I've only been here once before, when it was the first time I helped out at home."
Looking at the birdsong and fragrant flowers before her, Su Sheng sighed, "It seems... I've only ever helped out at home once."
Cui Wuming said, "Young Master, this is your destiny. If you had stayed in the Su family, you probably wouldn't have been able to avoid that disaster."
Su Sheng said, "I was just feeling sentimental. Now is not the time to reminisce. Go and find out where Zhao Cheng's granary is."
After all three thousand elite soldiers came out and lined up, Cui Wuming returned to report.
"Found it, it's right here, closest to the valley entrance."
How many troops are stationed here?
"Less than two thousand."
Su Sheng took a deep breath and said, "It seems that the young governor is putting a lot of pressure on Zhao Cheng. Almost all the troops stationed in Silver Valley have been transferred away."
With that, Su Sheng turned around to face Zuo Zhu and the three thousand elite soldiers, raising his voice to say, "The young commander used himself as bait at the gates of Nantong, forcing Zhao Cheng to commit all his troops to defend the city. The young commander has completed his mission. Now, it's our turn!"
"We cannot let the young commander's efforts go to waste!"
"We cannot let our compatriots beneath the walls of Nantong die in vain!"
"In the decisive battle between Yun and Jing, we are the most crucial link! If we succeed, you will all enjoy lifelong wealth and prosperity, and your descendants will be blessed!"
Su Sheng raised a hand and said, "Listen to my command: first kill the Silver Valley garrison, then transport the grain into the trade route as quickly as possible, and return via the original route! If any unforeseen circumstances arise, immediately burn the grain!"
"kill!"
dusk.
The setting sun was like blood.
Led by Zuo Zhu, the three thousand elite soldiers moved towards the granary quietly and swiftly like a pack of wolves. Only when the first wave of defenders was killed did the remaining defenders react.
"Sneak attack! Enemy sneak attack!"
"Don't talk nonsense. Silver Valley only has one entrance, where would it get enemies?"
"They're here! They're really here!"
"So many people!!"
Did they fly in from the sky?
Run!!!
The three thousand assassins carried out a silent massacre, and the Dongjing garrison withdrew from the valley after holding out for less than a short while.
Zuo Zhu gave the order: "Teams one through ten, you one thousand men will guard the valley entrance! The rest of you will transport the grain!"
Su Sheng and Cui Wuming walked to a grain bin. Cui Wuming thrust his sword into it, and the white grains gushed out of the hole.
Su Sheng reached out and caught some, took a sniff, and said, "Grain is truly a good thing."
The others followed suit and immediately stabbed at the grain storage to inspect the grain.
"Strategist, we have provisions!"
"Strategist, we have provisions!"
"Strategist, it's all good grain!"
Su Sheng nodded and said, "Unload the grain quickly and move it away!"
Zuo Zhu commanded, "Quickly!"
Watching the assassins hurriedly unload the supplies, Su Sheng let out a long breath, her chest heaving.
Seeing this, Zuo Zhu leaned closer and asked suspiciously, "Strategist, is something wrong?"
Su Sheng said, "Victory seems to have come too easily."
"Is the strategist worried about a trap?"
Zuo Zhu looked around and said, "Really? The grain is all real, it's all right here."
Su Sheng said, "Zhao Cheng is both cunning and cautious. I always felt that he wouldn't be so careless."
Zuo Zhu said, "Strategist, don't worry. It's not that Zhao Cheng isn't capable; it's just that the young commander's performance was too convincing, putting too much pressure on him. Plus, with your brilliant plan, strategist, he can't defend against it."
Whoosh!
Suddenly, an arrow, accompanied by a powerful hurricane, flew towards Su Sheng. Cui Wuming quickly pushed Su Sheng and Zuo Zhu aside and blocked it with his longsword.
puff!
Cui Wuming took several steps back and spat out a mouthful of blood.
"The Spirit-Startling Bow..."
"Hahahaha! It feels so good to hear my opponent praising me so much!"
On the south side of the granary, Zhao Cheng, Zhou Nuo, Heng Wenhao, and Gong Xue emerged, followed by several thousand Dongjing soldiers.
At the same time, a circle of archers suddenly appeared on the mountainside surrounding Silver Valley, their arrows already nocked.
"Zhao Cheng!!" Zuo Zhu gritted her teeth and said.
"As expected..." Su Sheng sighed, shook her head slightly, and said, "I still fell into your trap."
“Even if I didn’t come, with Heng Wenhao and Gong Xue guarding this place, an injured Cui Wuming might not be able to succeed. Cui Wuming, after the last time Miss Gong Xue fought with you, she still remembers you very well.”
Cui Wuming gripped the sword hilt tightly, his wrist trembling slightly.
Clearly, Zhou Nuo's arrow had aggravated his injury.
Zhao Cheng looked at Su Sheng and said, "Gray Robe, Cui Wuming risked his life to shield you from an arrow; he's truly loyal to you. If I'm not mistaken, your surname should be Su, right?"
Su Sheng slowly took off her hood, her eyelids trembling as she looked at the sunset on the horizon, seemingly adjusting to the light.
"The downfall of my Su family is thanks to you, and my current state is also thanks to you."
Su Sheng also looked at Zhao Cheng and said, "But I'm very curious, how did you know I could enter Silver Valley from another route?"
Zhao Cheng said, "Before Yang Qingzhi attacked the city, I corresponded with Cai Yilu. First, I asked him to inquire about the Southern Zhou court's attitude towards the Northern Expedition, and second, I asked him if there were any other routes through Yingu. It was just a casual question, but I didn't expect that my brother Cai could even find out about the Southern Zhou court, let alone your Su family's trade route."
“Cai Yilu has been doing business in Southern Zhou for many years. People who used to do secret deals with the Su family are now cooperating with him. The Su family’s business route is a secret to others, but not to him.”
“Cui Wuming is already a grandmaster, yet he is utterly loyal to you. I have long suspected that you are a member of the Su family. Since you are a member of the Su family, it is possible that you know this path.”
"Taking this route to launch a surprise attack on Silver Valley is your only chance to turn the tide."
"Yang Qingzhi feigned madness to launch a surprise attack on Nantong City; he loved to act..."
Zhao Cheng opened his arms and laughed, "Then I'll play along with his performance!"
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