Yun Qi had long been familiar with Pingdu County, and he led Lin Yinan and the others to He Xiongluo Corner with ease.
He Xiong was ultimately afraid of death, so even his residence was guarded by numerous soldiers in layers, and soldiers patrolled from time to time.
The group hid on the rooftop and waited until the soldiers on night duty changed shifts before they began their operation.
The five men were all equipped with crossbows capable of firing arrows continuously. With a wave of Lin Yinan's hand, arrows shot into the darkness and towards the soldiers on duty.
All the soldiers were killed with a single arrow, and apart from the dull thud of them hitting the ground, there was no other sound.
He Xiong lay naked on the bed. He had been struck by lightning, and although he was not in mortal danger, his skin was severely burned and covered with black herbs. He had been in so much pain for the past two days that he could not sleep day or night. Today, the pain had subsided, and he dragged his exhausted body to bed early.
With a muffled thud, He Xiong was jolted awake from his sleep. When he opened his eyes, he saw a masked man in black standing by his bedside.
He was immediately startled. "Who are you?"
"The one who's here to take your life." The man in black's eyes flashed with a sharp, cold light, his voice clear and icy.
It was a woman?
He Xiong was taken aback, his gaze sweeping over the two maids lying on the ground behind the man in black.
He Xiong tried to get up by supporting himself on the bed with his hands, but a long sword was pressed against his neck, and the cold tip of the sword made his scalp tingle involuntarily.
"If you move even slightly, this sword will sever your blood vessels and throat."
"Heroine, spare my life!" He Xiong immediately raised his hands, begging for mercy, while glancing at the large knife at the foot of the bed, silently searching for the right opportunity to turn the tables and kill in one fell swoop.
Seeing through his little trick at a glance, Lin Yinan kicked the broadsword away, and unconsciously tightened his grip on the sword.
When will your reinforcements arrive?
A stinging sensation came from the skin on the back of my neck, and warm blood flowed down my neck.
With his life hanging by a thread, He Xiong was filled with panic; he didn't want to die.
"The letter has been sent for five days and should arrive in Pingdu County in two days at the earliest."
He felt the sword on the back of his neck suddenly loosen.
He Xiong looked up at Lin Yinan, and even though she was dressed in black, he recognized her at a glance.
He chuckled and said, "Lord Lin, the Heavenly King will send 200,000 elite troops to support us this time. It would be a pity for such a beautiful woman like you to die. Actually, we can sit down and talk about cooperation."
Lin Yinan mentally estimated the distance the Hu reinforcements would travel, and upon hearing this, she gave him a cold glance, as if she were looking at a dead man.
"No need, I never cooperate with dead people!"
After she finished speaking, she gripped the sword in her hand tightly, channeled her inner strength, and slashed down fiercely. Blood splattered onto the bed curtains, and He Xiong's head rolled to the ground with a thud.
Lin Yinan wiped the sword clean with the bed curtains, then tore off a piece of cloth, wrapped it around He Xiong's head, and walked out.
Yun Er and Lin Yi'an had already dealt with the Hu people in the courtyard.
Seeing the blood still dripping from her hand, he was overjoyed; He Xiong's head was in his hands.
"Walk!"
At Lin Yinan's command, the five people leaped onto the roof and headed towards the city gate.
The city gate commander, accompanied by a squad of soldiers, stopped the five men.
"Who are you to dare trespass into this important city gate area?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than a dark shadow came hurtling straight toward his storefront.
The city gate commander drew his broadsword, ready to strike, when he heard someone on the other side say, "If you don't take it, this is your General He Xiong!"
Fearing a trick, the city gate commander quickly used the tip of his knife to catch the bundle firmly.
Before even opening it, the strong smell of blood filled the air. The city gate general hurriedly opened the bundle and saw a disheveled head, covered in blood, with its eyes wide open in death, facing him.
Upon closer inspection, it was none other than their General He Xiong!
"Your General He Xiong is dead! Open the city gates and surrender immediately!"
Knowing that the situation was hopeless, the city gate commander stopped resisting, threw down his weapon, removed his armor, and waved to the guards, shouting, "Open the city gate!"
At his command, Yun Qi launched a signal flare into the air, and the city gates were immediately filled with deafening shouts of battle.
The city gate slowly opened, and the commotion alerted the other soldiers and officers inside the city.
Seeing that the city gate was about to fall, and hearing from soldiers that the general had been beheaded, the lieutenants were so frightened that they lost all will to fight and fled with their remaining troops through the north gate.
The Hu deputy general took away a considerable number of troops. Lin Yinan left Yun Mo to deal with the surrendered soldiers of Pingdu County, and personally led most of his troops to pursue them.
When they reached Linjiang County, the remaining Hu soldiers who had fled had been almost completely wiped out.
"Lord, a troop of Hu soldiers from Linjiang County is charging towards us."
Yun Qi was the first to discover the situation ahead, and upon investigation, he learned that it was actually reinforcements from the Hu people.
"Have the Hu reinforcements arrived?"
"Judging from their clothes and equipment, they seem to be."
Lin Yinan wiped the sweat mixed with blood from his face and tossed it away casually. "How many men are there?"
"I estimate it to be around twenty or thirty thousand."
Glancing at the elite soldiers he had brought with him, who were growing stronger in battle, Lin Yinan brandished his sword and spurred his horse forward.
"Brothers, let's fight to the death for our homeland!"
The Hu people were right in front of them, but they seemed not to see Lin Yinan and his group. They all turned around and engaged in a fierce battle with another group of people chasing behind them.
Lin Yinan quickly stopped and looked around.
Which group was chasing the Hu people?
Yun Er squinted his remaining eye and recognized the person at a glance.
"Lord City Lord, the pursuers look like the imperial army."
"The imperial army?"
“That’s right!” Yun Qi affirmed from the side.
Lin Yinan: "Pass down the order, beat the drums!"
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