He Xiong and his men watched helplessly as their retreat was blocked and soldiers continued to fall.
His expression was solemn. He thought that if he stayed here any longer, he might not even be able to survive. He could only rush forward and fight the bandits of Longtan to the death, which might give him a chance to live.
"On my command, all of you, charge out!"
Ignoring the wounded soldiers, he ordered his generals to lead the remaining soldiers forward.
"Lord, the Hu people are trying to break out of the valley!" The guards keenly noticed the Hu people's movements.
"Send the signal! We'll trap them and beat them!"
The bodyguard beside him fired a signal flare into the air.
As the signal flare was fired, Lin Yinan led her men to move swiftly along the direction He Xiong was heading on the mountaintop.
They were to meet up with Yun Yi and Yun San at the valley's exit and then ambush the Hu people at the next location.
Not far ahead, Lin Yi'an and Lu Changqing were overjoyed to see the signal flare; it was finally their turn.
Zhou Yong, standing nearby, turned his head and repeatedly reminded the two, "Don't fire the arrow until you hear the signal."
The two were the youngest in their archery battalion, yet they were the most talented archers.
Although Zhou Yong was much older than them, he never looked down on the two of them.
Lin Yi'an nodded honestly, "Brother Zhou, don't worry, my sister told my brother and me before we came."
Since the city lord had spoken, Zhou Yong didn't say anything more, but watched the movements in the valley warily.
He Xiong led the remaining men and quickly rushed into their group's ambush zone.
"Release the arrows!" came the command.
Countless rockets rained down from the sky, exploding on the Hu people, and a new round of one-sided strangulation began.
The warhorses that the Hu people had finally managed to calm down were startled when the loud noise and vibrations of the cannons rang out again. Some of the naturally alert but not calm horses were frightened and kicked up their heels in panic and scattered.
Many soldiers were thrown from their horses and trampled into a bloody pulp by the maddened horses.
The wounded soldiers groaned in pain, their faces covered in blood. Looking around at their comrades, missing limbs and with their internal organs spilling out, their eyes were filled with fear and despair.
The surviving soldiers followed the maddened horses, trying to break out of the valley.
A series of rumbling sounds rang out, and more than a dozen large pits appeared at the exit of the valley. Many soldiers, along with their mad horses, fell into the pits while they were running wildly.
He Xiong passed by and saw that the soldiers and horses that had fallen into the pit were all pierced through the heart by sharp spikes and died with their eyes wide open.
You scoundrel from Longtan, I will never forgive you!
He Xiong glared hatefully at the men lying in ambush on the mountaintop, then gritted his teeth and led his soldiers out of the valley.
When the team was being organized and counted, it was discovered that they had suffered heavy casualties in this short valley, losing nearly 10,000 men.
He was so angry that he wanted to immediately take up his sword and kill all the thieves in Longtan.
Yu Shida also survived the valley, but his vanguard team was reduced to only a few dozen men.
He was somewhat annoyed, but he had no choice but to step forward and ask He Xiong for instructions.
"General, the Dragon Pool bandits' camp is not far ahead. Should we continue the pursuit?"
He Xiong said with a gloomy face, "Now that we've come out, we must slaughter those Longjiang traitors to avenge our fallen soldiers!"
He Xiong originally intended to pass down the order to let the soldiers rest on the spot for a quarter of an hour.
Unexpectedly, a scout rushed in to report, "Reporting to the General, we have spotted the retreating troops of the Longtan soldiers ahead."
"Their men are still on the mountain. There can't be many of them showing up now. Chase after them and make sure you capture them," He Xiong said.
In the jungle.
"Lord, the traces of the wounded soldiers' retreat have been covered up, and the Hu army is heading in our direction."
The soldier in charge of reconnaissance came to report.
Lin Yinan swallowed the pancake in her hand in big gulps, then gulped down a mouthful of water before slowly saying, "Yunxi sent a message to Yun Yi and Yun San: the fish have taken the bait."
Yunxi accepted the order and left.
Lin Yinan stood up, glanced at Qianwu who was beside her, and reached out to wipe the crumbs from the corner of her mouth.
Are you scared?
Qianwu shook her head, "I'm not afraid!"
"Stay close to everyone and don't get separated."
Yun Yi and Yun San's main force was hidden in the jungle. Even though they had lost some Hu soldiers in the valley, the number of the two sides was still too much. Lin Yinan did not intend to fight them head-on.
After reconnaissance, Lin Yinan discovered that the dense forest and thick grass provided excellent concealment for the soldiers, allowing them to lure the Hu people into the forest to carry out jungle warfare.
Jungle warfare is advantageous for encircling, bypassing, and infiltrating the Hu people, as well as launching surprise attacks and other divide-and-conquer tactics. If used well, it can also annihilate the Hu army piecemeal.
Lin Yinan divided the team into many small squads, which were hidden in various corners of the jungle.
When He Xiong led his troops in pursuit, they saw Lin Yinan personally leading a team to cut through the vegetation in the jungle, clearing a path and making their way forward with difficulty.
Yu Shida recognized the people in front of him and pointed to Lin Yinan, who was leading the group, saying, "General, the person leading the group ahead is the female city lord of Longtan."
"oh?"
The light in the forest was dim, and He Xiong squinted and stared intently.
The people ahead spotted them at that moment.
Lin Yinan turned around and met his clear, bright gaze. He Xiong was startled. He had originally thought that a woman who could become the lord of a city must be a big, strong, and powerful woman.
Unexpectedly, the city lord was a cool and beautiful woman with a heroic bearing and an imposing presence. He Xiong was stunned for a moment.
"General, could this be a trap?" The adjutant beside him looked at the people retreating slowly ahead and felt something was amiss.
With just a fleeting glance, He Xiong was deeply attracted by the beautiful figure with delicate features, picturesque eyebrows, and a graceful posture.
However, he was not the kind of person who would be blinded by lust. The loss of so many soldiers in the valley just now was the work of this woman, and she should not be underestimated.
He gritted his teeth and said, "Pass down the order: keep the troops in formation, and have the archers ready to fight at any time."
To prevent the other side from using trickery, He Xiong quickly adjusted his formation.
He knew that the southern region was mountainous and densely forested, and that most of his soldiers came from the heart of the grasslands and were not familiar with such dense jungles.
Looking at Lin Yinan so close to him, He Xiong had no intention of letting her go so easily.
He ordered a cavalry unit and, ignoring his subordinates' advice, personally led the team to capture Lin Yinan.
"Lord, the barbarians are coming!"
Yun Shiyi and Yun Si stood closely guarding Lin Yinan on either side.
"Perfect timing, let's proceed according to plan."
The group tried their best to pretend they were being chased by enemy troops and quickened their pace to run forward.
The Hu people were right in front of him, and He Xiong's lewd voice came from behind him.
"Young lady, don't run away! Come back with me, serve me well, and I promise you'll live a life of luxury."
"Lord, they have entered the attack range," Yun Si said.
Upon hearing this, Lin Yinan slowed down, her eyes flashing with intense killing intent. She drew her sword from her waist and turned to pounce on He Xiong.
She was agile and skilled in martial arts, her sword tip pointing directly at He Xiong's face.
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