Chapter 660 – Unification of Wanzhou (Part Thirteen)
The Second-in-command took a moment in the restroom, secretly issuing orders to his Confidants to mobilize the troops, instructing them to silently surround the main hall and avoid detection from the two thousand spies sent by the Red Lotus Sect. Finally, he returned to the main hall as if nothing had happened, continuing to drink and make merry with everyone.
Inside the hall, the revelry continued, oblivious to the fact that countless arrows were aimed at them, and a deadly atmosphere loomed.
The Second-in-command kept urging them to drink, while a Scholar from the Red Lotus Sect slumped over the table, his clothes in disarray.
At the same time, several shadowy figures stealthily made their way into a secluded residence within the city.
“Sir—”
Wei Ci stepped out from within, his expression calm. “I’m here.”
“My apologies for the delay, Sir. We startled you.”
These individuals dressed in black were the Guards who had accompanied Wei Ci into the city.
Once inside, Wei Ci had instructed them to operate independently, blending into Qiu Yu County without worrying about his safety, and to find another opportunity to meet later.
“What’s the situation outside?”
One of them reported, “They’ve spread the rumor that you were killed and tossed a skeleton that had been chewed by wild dogs in front of our military camp. The Lord has had people shouting warnings outside all afternoon, but the Red Lotus Sect remains holed up. Around noon, two thousand soldiers entered the city and were warmly received.”
Wei Ci clasped his hands within his sleeves, looked at the moonlit sky, and inquired, “Do you know where those two thousand people are currently staying?”
One replied, “The winds within the city are tight-lipped, but my subordinates have inquired multiple times and pinpointed their exact location.”
Wei Ci smiled, the corners of his lips curling slightly in a detached manner, “You’ve done well. Now, listen to my orders: go inform those people that the Second-in-command of the Red Lotus Sect harbors ill intentions; luring them into the city is a trap designed to encircle and annihilate them. They must hurry to rescue themselves.”
The Guards exchanged puzzled glances but nodded in agreement nonetheless.
Wei Ci added, “This place is remote and quiet, I won’t face any danger here; just focus on your tasks.”
As it turned out, hiding with the Second-in-command wasn’t particularly safe, so he had been moved to this secluded area.
This spot was indeed a great place for concealment and identity protection, given its remoteness and lack of traffic.
The Guards agreed, then dispersed.
In the dead of night, with strong winds and darkness, it was a perfect night for killing.
Jiang Pengji led all the Soldiers, traveling light and swiftly towards the Red Lotus Sect’s camp.
The camp was a complete mess, poorly lit with few torches, and the disarray was compounded by the lack of patrolling guards.
In this dreadful weather, the nighttime chill was unbearable, leading most people to find a nook and slack off.
Discipline within the Red Lotus Sect was lax, and the patrolling soldiers took every opportunity to laze about.
By day, many of their superiors had left, making them even more casual.
When Jiang Pengji and her forces arrived, they shockingly found that there weren’t even any guards at the barricades.
Yang Si, shivering from the cold, trembled, “Could it be a ruse?”
Jiang Pengji let out a derisive snort, “If the Red Lotus Sect had any brains, they wouldn’t have been toyed with by Zixiao and An Huan.”
Yang Si fell silent.
He wasn’t exactly dim-witted either; he too occasionally got caught in Wei Ci’s crafty schemes!
Not to mention An Huan, the dramatic triple agent, he didn’t want to comment further on.
With her astute instincts, Jiang Pengji was certain there were people inside the camp, but they weren’t ambushing.
“Prepare the Bow and Arrows.”
Everyone held their breath as hundreds of archers dipped their arrowheads into oil-soaked rags, igniting them, and drew their bows skyward.
With a command, a rain of arrows shot into the air, leaving trails of fiery orange in their wake, raining down upon the camp.
The soldiers inside were still blissfully dreaming, while the guards outside were yawning and dozing against the barricades.
By the time the second wave of fiery arrows fell, the tents were already ablaze, and only then did anyone notice the commotion.
“Enemy attack—there’s an enemy attack—”
Too sleepy to care, even that shout woke very few.
In a flurry of chaos, as someone blew a horn to signal the enemy, the flames caught under the night wind and leaped from one tent to another.
“Enemy attack—”
“Wake up—quickly—”
The chaotic shouts, hurried footsteps…the cacophony wove into a haunting symphony.
With the sound of galloping hooves approaching, the horses neighed, and some people violently broke open the camp gate.
The guard soldiers, about to rush forward to defend, suddenly saw a flash of silver, and two bursts of blood bloomed beautifully.
Nobody expected that the Liu Xi army, who had been shouting all afternoon, would launch a night raid on the Red Lotus Sect’s camp.
Dian Yin was a tad slower than Jiang Pengji. His horse kept its head low, trotting steadily. Though not fast, it was consistent, keeping up with Jiang Pengji as they charged into the camp. From his horse, Dian Yin began striking down anyone in sight, brandishing dual axes with lethal precision; he was a force of nature—the kind of strike that could slice someone cleanly in two, leaving intestines spilling all over.
The cries of slaughtering echoed like a giant stone thrown into still waters, splashing ripples of chaos.
The flames grew larger, painting the entire camp in a demonic orange glow.
“Kill—”
Since it was midnight, most of the Red Lotus Sect soldiers were caught in their dreams, startled awake by the uproar and blazes, acting on pure instinct to flee, rushing out of their tents empty-handed and weaponless into the jaws of their fierce enemies…
Even though there were thirty thousand of them, facing Jiang Pengji’s troops, they crumbled without a fight, frantically fleeing and offering no resistance.
Inside the city—
Following Wei Ci’s instructions, the Guards disguised as members of the Red Lotus Sect hastily spread the news.
Initially, they were met with disbelief, but upon seeing the distant flames spreading and faint sounds of battle and cries, their expressions shifted dramatically.
With the mission accomplished, the Guards seized the chaos to slip away and enjoy the unfolding drama.
At that moment, someone in the hall groggily got up to relieve themselves. Upon pushing open the door, they were confronted by an unusual darkness.
The fiery orange glow painted half the sky, resembling a ‘fire cloud.’
“What’s that?”
Still in a daze, they took a step forward, and suddenly, the realization hit them.
That direction wasn’t where they had set up camp, was it?
The drunkenness faded quickly, leaving a cold sweat trickling down their spine.
That wasn’t all; they caught sight of some figures in the distance illuminated by the faint candlelight, appearing quite abnormal.
A sense of crisis surged from their feet to their head, making the scalp tingle and the body tremble.
They pulled back their foot, momentarily uncertain of how to react.
What to do? What to do? What to do?
Panicking and lost, they hurried back, trying to wake others up.
Halfway through their shouting, they noticed a pair of sinister eyes staring directly at them, like a harbinger of death.
The Second-in-command sneered condescendingly and strode away.
Just as he was about to step out the door, it was forcefully pulled shut.
“Kill—”
The Second-in-command’s voice echoed muffled from the outside.
Moments later, countless arrows pierced through the paper windows, raining down into the room indiscriminately, with fire trailing behind them.
The arrows struck the wine, instantly igniting the flames.
“Help—help me!”
As the flames spread, the cries within the room gradually weakened, becoming short and faint; the Second-in-command scoffed coldly, hands clasped behind his back, and strode away.
However, he had barely moved far when the sounds of hurried footsteps and cries of slaughter grew closer.
His face turned pale as dozens of people burst through the thick vermillion door—two thousand men from the Red Lotus Sect!
He tried to bolt, but it was too late; several heavy blades fell upon his back, and within a few breaths, his life had slipped away.
