sbdcsierra Chapter 129 Xiao 5 and Ju Ye under the cover of night
Chapter 129 Xiao 5 and Ju Ye under the cover of night
They quickly left the courtyard and walked through the intricate alleys of Kyoto, carefully avoiding patrolling soldiers and guards.
"Brother Juye, do you think we can really succeed?" Xiao Wu asked in a low voice as he walked, with a hint of uneasiness in his tone.
Juye looked back at Xiaowu and said firmly: "Don't worry, Xiaowu. We have made sufficient preparations. As long as we act according to your plan, we will succeed." After dawn, the two of them left Kyoto with the people who left the city.
Li Hu and Lao Zhang were still closely watching the development of the situation in the small courtyard in Kyoto. They knew that this action was not only related to whether Qingxue City could be captured, but also to their future destiny.
"Brother Hu, do you think Zhaoguo will discover our plan?" Lao Zhang asked in a deep voice.
Li Hu shook his head. "So far, they haven't noticed our presence. However, we must remain vigilant at all times and not let our guard down."
At this moment, there was a sudden and urgent knock on the door. Li Hu and Lao Zhang looked at each other, quickly hid the map and letter on the table, and then slowly walked towards the door.
When the door opened, a man in black stood outside, looking nervous. He was one of Li Hu's spies stationed in Beijing, named Wang Er.
"Brother, there's an emergency!" Wang Er said breathlessly.
"Come in and talk." Li Hu let him in, closed the door, and asked anxiously, "What happened?"
"Old Zeng said we should act quickly and not give Zhaoguo a chance, otherwise our people won't be able to get ashore!" Wang Er said while still panting.
Li Hu complained in their language, "He's been here for so many years, but he's done nothing. We have to find out everything ourselves."
Lao Zhang patted his shoulder and sighed, "It's difficult for them, too. Zhao State is growing stronger. Previously, because of the incident with the former Youdu spies, they carried out a major purge of Zhao State, and even some of our people were eliminated. They're right to be cautious. But we have to act quickly now, otherwise, once the city wall on the seashore of Qingxue City is truly built, it will be difficult for our people to enter."
Li Hu nodded in agreement and said, "If it weren't for Zhaoguo's plan to build a city wall there, I wouldn't be in such a hurry to start. If we delay any longer, our people will still be adrift on the sea."
Several days later, Xiaowu and Juye finally arrived at Qingxue City. They contacted their local contacts and began to plot a detailed plan of action. After some discussion, they decided on a dual attack strategy: first, they would send a few people to inform their forces to quietly disembark. Then, they would incite the defenders to revolt while external forces would assault the city walls.
After all their men had landed, on the second night, amidst a storm, Xiaowu and Juye led a group of strong men as they quietly approached the city walls of Qingxue City's main gate. The guards on the walls seemed somewhat lax due to the inclement weather, giving them an opportunity to take advantage.
"Move now!" Xiao Wu whispered. Several men carried a long ladder against the city wall, and a group quickly scaled the wall, using pre-prepared tools to open the city gate. Simultaneously, the inner circle also sprang into action, quickly overpowering the guards near the city gate and clearing a passage for the outside troops.
As the city gates slowly opened, Juye's main force quickly poured into the city. Armed with weapons and high morale, they quickly seized several key positions. The defenders were caught off guard and surrendered or fled.
The battle lasted all night, and at dawn, the flag of Qingxue City was replaced with a flower-shaped symbol. This surprise attack was a victory, and Qingxue City officially fell into the hands of this group of unknown people.
When this news reached Kyoto, Li Hu and his men realized that this was only a temporary victory. Emperor Qing Zhao of Zhao would undoubtedly send a large army to counterattack. They prepared to withdraw from Kyoto, leaving only a small group of people in Kyoto to gather information.
Upon learning of the sudden fall of Qingxue City, Emperor Zhao of Qing was furious. He immediately summoned his ministers to discuss countermeasures and decided to dispatch an elite force to recapture the city. Led by the experienced general Zhao Ming, this force was well-equipped and well-trained, making it one of Zhao's most elite forces.
A few days later, Zhao Ming's army arrived outside Qingxue City. They quickly launched an offensive, attempting to recapture the city in one fell swoop. However, Li Hu and his men were well prepared, using the city walls to their advantage to put up a fierce resistance. A fierce battle ensued, with arrows raining down and the clash of swords echoing in the air.
The battle raged for several days, with both sides inflicting heavy losses. Despite their valor, Zhao Ming's army was unable to break through Li Hu's defenses. However, a crucial message was relayed: the language these people spoke was completely incomprehensible to them, a language unlike that of the Hucha Kingdom or the language of A Luosha and his men. Furthermore, they were holding the city's inhabitants hostage, a factor that delayed Zhao Ming's capture of Qingxue City. Upon learning of this, Emperor Qing Zhao was also troubled. He summoned his ministers once again, this time including Mu Yunxi.
When Mu Yunxi heard the news, she suddenly felt a strong curiosity and sense of responsibility.
After knowing that these people spoke a different language from Zhaoguo and others, she had a suspicion in her heart, "Maybe these people came from a place we have never known." Mu Yunxi expressed her guess.
Emperor Qing Zhao pondered for a moment, feeling that Mu Yunxi's speculation made sense. However, he was also troubled by the fact that the people of Zhao State probably couldn't understand their language and were using the city's inhabitants as a threat. Just as Emperor Qing Zhao was feeling overwhelmed, Mu Yunxi volunteered to go to Qingxue City to investigate. After careful consideration, Emperor Qing Zhao agreed. The next day, Mu Yunxi led a team of elite soldiers to Qingxue City.
Li Hu was also facing tremendous pressure at this time, because more and more of their people were going ashore, supplies were gradually decreasing, and the food problem also needed to be solved, but Zhao Ming and his troops were stationed not far from Qingxue City, so they could not get out.
At this moment, Xiao Wu stepped forward. He volunteered to lead a death squad in a night raid on Zhao Ming's camp. He believed that only by disrupting the enemy's deployment could they alleviate the current predicament. Although Li Hu was concerned about his safety, he understood that this was the only solution and agreed to his request.
As night fell, Xiao Wu led a group of strong men to quietly approach Zhao Ming's camp. Using the cover of darkness, they quickly infiltrated the enemy camp. Then, they launched a sudden attack, preparing to set fire to the food and weapons depot. However, Zhao Ming had long been prepared for this move, having learned the Thirty-Six Stratagems, and he captured Xiao Wu and his men in one fell swoop.
Amidst Xiaowu and the others' curses, Zhao Ming noticed Xiaowu speaking Zhaoguo dialect and threatened to take him away for questioning. Xiaowu, realizing Zhao Ming's intention, rolled his eyes and charged at the blade of a nearby soldier. Zhao Ming leaped forward, kicking Xiaowu two meters away. Xiaowu spat out a mouthful of blood. Zhao Ming snorted, "You want to die? Have you asked me?" He then waved his hand, signaling the soldiers to take him away.
Li Hu and his companions, who had wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to attack the Zhao army, saw that Xiao Wu had not given any signal, and knowing that the situation was not good, they had no choice but to order a retreat.