Chapter 21: Guerrilla Tactics?
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It was only on the way to provide support that Wu Mi and the others learned what had happened.
It turned out that another company had run into trouble while attacking a stronghold...
The terrain of Mount Li was complicated, and bandit forts were scattered throughout the region.
Clearwind Stronghold’s primary objective was to eliminate those larger strongholds, each boasting more than a hundred martial artists.
The stronghold they were attacking this time, for instance, had roughly a hundred and fifty martial artists.
Since its overall strength was inferior to that of Cloudreach Stronghold, only one company had been dispatched to attack it.
In theory, there should have been no problem...
But who could have imagined that a small fort known as Rocksolid Stronghold, relying on a force of just over twenty men, would manage to rally the surrounding minor strongholds and form a hundred-man force?
The group was not particularly large, but its leader, Xu Panyue, master of Rocksolid Stronghold, knew something of guerrilla warfare!
Under his command, the hundred-odd martial artists specifically chose to harass Clearwind Stronghold whenever it was attacking the fort. Whenever Clearwind Stronghold turned its spearhead toward them, they would swiftly vanish into the mountain forests...
The complicated terrain became a natural shield and impregnable barrier for these men. Every pursuit launched by Clearwind Stronghold was like a fist striking cotton—there was strength behind it, but nowhere for that strength to land.
With no other choice, the company was forced to request reinforcements.
A short while later, Wu Mi’s company reached the surrounding area.
Wu Mi concealed his troops in the mountain forest rather than joining up with the allied forces. He sent only one soldier forward to deliver the message.
In his view, these hundred-plus men knew the local terrain far too well. To crush them completely, one would need several times their numbers; otherwise, the slightest misstep would allow the enemy to lead them by the nose.
At present, an ambush and surprise attack were the best options.
After all, they were certain to appear once the company launched its assault on the fort!
The company quietly concealed itself on both sides of the mountain path the enemy was bound to take, waiting in silence...
On the other side, after receiving the message, the soldiers of Clearwind Stronghold resumed their attack on the fort.
Wu Mi led his troops while vigilantly surveying their surroundings.
Just as expected, the enemy appeared on the mountain path and hurried swiftly toward the stronghold.
Seeing that the moment had arrived, Wu Mi immediately drew his sword and shouted, “Kill!”
The soldiers suddenly burst from the bushes on both sides...
The unexpected cries of slaughter left the martial artists in the field momentarily stunned, panic flashing across their faces.
The next instant, they scattered and fled toward the dense forest behind them.
Soon, the two forces collided...
Amid the crowd, Qin Jue, who had approached from the flank, gripped a long saber in his hand. With an agile figure, he charged at the forefront toward a martial artist.
With a wet slash, his saber fell. Empowered by immense strength, it cleaved through the martial artist at the First Gate, separating head from body!
[Congratulations, Host! You have successfully slain an enemy and gained 1 Victory Point!]
Without the slightest pause, his gaze icy, Qin Jue accelerated toward another martial artist and struck once more...
Another martial artist fell dead on the spot!
[Congratulations, Host! You have successfully slain an enemy and gained 1 Victory Point!]
...
Compared with Qin Jue’s decisiveness and ruthless resolve, the remaining soldiers were somewhat hesitant.
Many of the men in Wu Mi’s company had been recruited only after arriving at East River City and had no experience fighting in mountain forests.
The enemy, by contrast, were all seasoned forest fighters.
Apart from their initial panic, they quickly regained their composure. Even while fleeing, they did not forget to counterattack.
This exchange transformed what had begun as an ambush into a pursuit.
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Large numbers of enemies slipped into the mountain forest and widened the distance.
The soldiers could only pursue them recklessly, though fortunately, some enemies had still been left behind...
“Whoosh!”
Suddenly, an arrow shot through the woods, streaking toward a martial artist from Clearwind Stronghold.
Ordinarily, a common arrow like this could be resisted as long as a martial artist protected his vital areas.
That Second-Gate martial artist thought so as well!
But when the black arrow pierced his chest with a wet thud, he finally realized just how disastrously wrong he had been...
Among the mountain trees stood a tall, powerfully built man, his expression indifferent as he stared at the corpse collapsing below.
He had a square face, thick brows, large eyes, and a deep, keen gaze. In his hand was a pitch-black longbow.
He was none other than Xu Panyue, master of Rocksolid Stronghold!
After confirming that the martial artist was truly dead, Xu Panyue lightly touched the tips of his toes to the branch and sprang effortlessly toward another tree. Concealing himself, he vanished into the forest.
The death of one martial artist attracted little attention.
Wu Mi continued leading his company in pursuit...
When Qin Jue had slain his tenth enemy, he noticed a martial artist at the consummate Third Gate who continued counterattacking even while fleeing.
He decisively closed in!
By now, the group had scattered like startled birds and beasts. They were so spread out that Qin Jue could no longer slaughter them as freely as he had when first scaling the fort walls. He could only pursue them one by one.
At a time like this, finding someone stronger, and therefore worth more Victory Points, was naturally the best choice.
Besides Victory Points, there was military merit to consider as well!
A short while later, Qin Jue appeared before the man in black.
The other man had initially intended to flee, but when he saw that Qin Jue was merely at the minor-accomplishment stage of the Third Gate, he immediately turned around. With a succession of leaps, he charged toward Qin Jue at tremendous speed.
As he drew closer, the black-clad man thrust his spear like a dragon, while a faint crimson hue surfaced across the skin of both his arms.
Qin Jue shifted nimbly to the side, avoiding the attack in an instant.
“Boom!”
The sharp spearhead struck a massive rock beside them. Stone fragments flew, leaving a large hole behind.
The black-clad man withdrew his spear and swept it horizontally.
Qin Jue immediately raised his saber before him.
“Boom!”
Another heavy impact rang out as the shaft of the spear slammed against the great saber.
Qin Jue retreated slightly. Then, with a surge of strength from both arms, he knocked the spear aside and closed the distance in two strides instead of three.
The black-clad man’s expression shifted. Stunned, he hurriedly retreated.
But Qin Jue was already upon him. He raised his saber and brought it down with tremendous force!
The black-clad man had no time to use his spear to block. He could only raise his left arm, hoping to rely on his tough flesh to withstand the blow.
But he had badly underestimated the sharpness of Qin Jue’s saber!
The blade descended with a wet slash, biting into flesh. Blood sprayed forth, spattering across Qin Jue’s cheek.
Though the saber did not sever the arm, it injured the tendons and bones!
“Ah!” The black-clad man let out a heart-rending scream. His hand instinctively released the spear, and he swung a fist at Qin Jue.
Qin Jue reacted swiftly, leaning his body backward to evade the blow.
Then he struck back with a fist of his own, smashing it toward the man’s face.
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The heavy punch landed squarely, leaving the man seeing stars as he staggered backward again and again.
Qin Jue swung his saber once more, aiming directly at the vulnerable point of the man’s neck. One stroke ended his life!
[Congratulations, Host! You have successfully slain an enemy and gained 3 Victory Points!]
“Whoosh!”
Suddenly, a sharp sound splitting the air rapidly approached!
With his agility enhanced, Qin Jue reacted swiftly and shifted to the side without hesitation.
A black arrow flashed past before his eyes, narrowly missing his head.
“Bang!”
The black arrow struck a nearby tree with tremendous force and pierced straight through it!
Qin Jue’s gaze darkened. He immediately looked in the direction from which the arrow had come, but saw no one.
Frowning slightly, he was just about to continue searching...
Whoosh!
Another martial artist became the target of a black arrow.
Unlike Qin Jue, he possessed no such strength. The arrow pierced directly through his head, and he collapsed dead.
Even this time, Qin Jue still failed to see the attacker.
For the moment, he could only give up and continue pursuing the enemy...
As he gave chase, Qin Jue also spared part of his attention for the archer.
The man’s arrows were different from those of ordinary people. They were genuinely lethal!
And yet...
Xu Panyue’s arrows were like those of a ghost. Not only were they immensely powerful, but they never missed.
Every time he loosed one, another martial artist fell!
The others barely had time to react. They could not even locate him.
As more and more martial artists were sniped, Wu Mi finally could no longer sit idle.
In a fury, he immediately ordered that whoever killed the archer would receive the highest merit.
The highest merit was one of the most important forms of military service, and its reward was even more generous than achievements such as being the first to scale the walls.
The moment this order was issued, the martial artists present grew excited.
Before long, quite a few of them caught sight of Xu Panyue’s approximate location and rushed over.
But Xu Panyue moved with astonishing speed and agility. His figure flickered once before disappearing from sight.
When he appeared again the next second...
A martial artist immediately fell dead!
With his ghostlike speed, Xu Panyue moved through the mountain forest as effortlessly as a fish through water, killing more than a dozen martial artists in succession.
This left the pursuing soldiers suffering terribly. Some even grew fearful and no longer dared to advance.
However...
As Xu Panyue continued to strike, Qin Jue gradually caught sight of his movements.
At last, behind a tree, Qin Jue found him!
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