Chapter 37 (1/2)
Chapter 37
Translator: Nyoi-Bo StudioEditor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
”Gentlemen, this will be the plan for now.” Within a simple tent, a girl dressed in cyan raised her slender chin slightly and pointed towards the topographic map on the desk with her slender fingers. She addressed the soldiers around her in a deep tone, ”This operation will start at 1:45 a.m., Xia Zhi will bring the first team to the Chi Chao Bridge between the Chao Lake and the Chi Shui to set up an ambush. Xirui and Bian Cang will each lead 5 men under the bridge, destroying the straw boats that are crossing the river, severing the river crossing hook lock. After which, Zhi Xia will initiate the attack, destroying the defensive positions of the The Dauntless Cavalry Camp on the bridge. Do not worry about the battle growing, but it must end when a stick of incense burns out. Do you understand?”
”Yes!” Zhi Xia, Xirui, and Bian Cang nodded in unison and accepted the order.
The lady then drew her finger along the western line on the map. She turned and said, ”AhDu will bring the second team to set an ambush along the trail within Suo He Village, coordinating with Zhi Xia's operation. This will prevent The Dauntless Cavalry Camp from sending reinforcements to their defensive positions on the bridge when Zhi Xia is attacking them. Your mission is to cut off the route between The Dauntless Cavalry Camp and the Northern Prisons when you are in the northern region. Try your best to delay the army for two hours.”
With a dark expression, AhDu nodded furiously as he said, ”My Lady, don't worry.”
The lady nodded and circled the top of the map with her finger. After which she pointed in the general direction forcefully and said, ”Your mission is to try and infiltrate the underground camp of the Northern Prison, rescuing Mr. Mu and Scholar Zhu, who are locked up in the northwestern corner of the water prison. Also, you must rescue 28 of our comrades from the Tian Yuan Tower on the south side of the prison. Some of them may be unable to walk, but you must rescue all of them and send them to Gu Ding village, which is fifteen miles southwest from here. After which, your reinforcements will then pick all of them up with carriages. That's why we have to take the risk of starting the operation early.”
The tent was completely silent as everyone listened intently to the lady's instructions.
The lady had a calm expression as she continued, ”About 300 meters in front of the Northern Prison, everything is covered in thick vegetation. However, within 100 meters of the prison, all vegetation is cut down. There is no cover at all. At the four corners of the prison, there are eight watchtowers with guards watching over its perimeter at all times. All of you will have to crawl.”
The lady turned back and took out another map. She said, ”Take a look, this is the concise map of the Northern Prison. This is the military warehouse, the food storage, the armory, the resting quarters for the troops, and this, is our destination: The Tian Yuan Tower and the northwestern water prison. I need you all to know this map inside and out within two hours; there is no time for mistakes. Two of you need to coordinate with each other to carry out your mission. When the mission commences at 1:45 a.m., Cheng Yang will then lead the third and fourth teams to launch the assault, while AhDu and AhCheng lead the archers to go around the camp along the trench line. The archers will then take out the guards on the watchtowers with their arrows. They must be killed with a single shot; not a single guard can live. After that is done, Cheng Yang will then lead the main assault team to open the gates. The team will then split into two groups, one attacking towards the west, as if they were attacking the armory as well as the provision base. That will lure the guards over to their position, creating chaos. The other group will shoot the barracks with flaming arrows. However, their intention is not to kill, but to create a diversion, slowing down the escaping troops. All of you must remember, if all the soldiers are out of the barracks, the mission will have already failed. All of you must be accurate with your shooting and act accordingly. Xiao Jiong will help you all from the outside, getting our horses to run through the dense jungle as if an enemy was attacking the camp.”
Xiao Jiong stood at the side. He was still a child that was not even 17 years old. However, the numerous wounds on his tanned skin as well as his muscular build could show that he was an outstanding warrior who had fought countless battles. Xiao Jiong smiled as he nodded. He said to Cheng Yang, ”Brother Cheng Yang, don't be like the last time, forgetting who I am when you get out of the enemy camp. You actually shot me with an arrow thinking I was the enemy.”
Hearing this, everyone broke into laughter, lightening the mood within the tent. Cheng Yang reached out and gave the kid a nudge. He laughed and said, ”You really do hold grudges.”
The lady coughed softly, causing everyone to turn towards her, getting serious once again. ”AhLi's archers will take out the soldiers on the watchtowers and the sentry posts. After which, the mission will officially begin. Cheng Yang will lead the main assault team to rush into the camp, setting archers five meters from each other as the team is pushing forwards. This is to protect the advance of the team. Your main mission is to rescue hostages; you do not have to care about the other positions. AhLi will eliminate all the targets and cover you as you advance. All of you will first head to the northwestern water prison, first rescuing Mr. Mu as well as scholar Zhu. After which, you will rush to the Tian Yuan Tower. Some of the guards there are our men; they will have already eliminated the other guards for us when we reach them. Once we have rescued everyone, retreat using the trench line on the southwestern side of the camp. AhLi will then attack the enemy on the right flank while AhCheng attacks them from the back as a diversion. When Cheng Yang has confirmed that they have everyone with them, fire the green flare. By 3 a.m., the fighting should cease. All of you are to be back at the designated location by 3:45 a.m. Xiao Jiu will arrange for your safe retreat from there.”
Her eyes were as bright as snow. She raised her head and looked at everyone within the tent as she said in a deep tone, ”Does anyone still not understand the mission?”
No one replied. The lady nodded. ”Good. For now, prepare your weapons and memorize the map of the camp. After half an hour, I will ask each and every one of you the battle procedure. If there are no further questions, we will set off in an hour.”
”Yes,” The men answered in unison as they stood from their seats. The small tent got crowded in an instant.
The lady in cyan stood up as well. Although she seemed thin and sickly, her narrow eyes glowed with energy. She reached out her right hand that was in a tight fist and placing it over her heart as she said slowly and steadily, ”Da Tong will not perish.”
”It will not perish!” the men roared in unison. She nodded approvingly as they gradually took their leave.
The tent became quiet all of a sudden and the only sound was the strong wind howling outside the tent. There was a decent snowfall that day. A timely heavy snowfall was a sign for a fruitful year ahead. Hopefully, the people would have a better life in the coming year.
After having a sip of tea, a boy that was dressed in brown suddenly burst into the tent and said, ”My lady, Mr. Wu is here.”
The lady raised her brows as the teacup in her hands trembled slightly. She steadied herself and said, ”Let him in.”
A gust of fresh wind blew into the tent as the man took off his hat. He was dressed in a green robe and he looked smart and upright. He was around 27-28 years old and there were some wrinkles around the corner of his eyes, but that did not diminish the aura of elegance that he emanated. He put down his belongings as he smiled and said, ”AhYu.”
The lady naturally took the dark robe from Wu Daoya as she smiled lightly. ”When did you come back? Aren't you going back to Yan Bei?”
”There were some urgent matters that required me to return to the capital immediately,” Wu Daoya said as he sat on a stool to take off his boots. As he tilted his boots slightly, it could be seen that it was filled with shards of ice.
Lady Yu picked at her brows as she said, ”Have you come from the ice plain?”
”What can I do?” Wu Daoya raised his head and said, ”The person in the Sheng Jin palace is celebrating his birthday and is inviting the three heads of state for it. Security is very tight. Everyone is being paranoid now; it's better to be careful.”