Chapter 590: Surprise Attack

Those words entered different ears and produced different meanings. The people of Dachan Mountain did not know whether they ought to take them seriously.

Although Huang Lie dearly wished Niu Youdao would not move into the provincial capital, the words sounded more like something spoken in anger. He pressed both hands downward. “Little brother, why speak in anger? I truly have no other intention. Inviting you to Dachan Mountain was genuinely for your safety. You must not let rumors disturb you.”

Niu Youdao said, “Precisely because they may be rumors, we cannot let whoever spread them get his way. What I said when I invited Dachan Mountain into Nanzhou years ago, I am willing to repeat before Sect Leader Huang and everyone present today. Dachan Mountain may rest easy: the benefits of Nanzhou belong to Dachan Mountain. I will not seize even a fraction of them. I will keep only what should be mine and will never press for another inch within Nanzhou!”

Whether those words were sincere or not, hearing them spoken publicly naturally pleased everyone from Dachan Mountain.

Huang Lie sighed. “I naturally believe little brother's words. There is no need to repeat them. I trust you.”

“I say this because I likewise hope Dachan Mountain will honor its promises and stop pressing for another inch in Nanzhou until I am driven into a dead end!”

Huang Lie's expression turned solemn. “How are we driving you into a dead end? Dachan Mountain naturally keeps its word. We will certainly work together with little brother to preserve Nanzhou's present situation.”

Anyone who truly understood the matter knew that Dachan Mountain might not believe every word Niu Youdao said, and in the future Dachan Mountain might not keep every promise it made either. Both sides were merely compromising with the present circumstances.

Two tigers could not share one mountain. It was an unchanging principle. In the end, one side would have to submit, one side would have to stand above the other, before Nanzhou's internal struggle could truly settle down.

For now, however, both sides still needed to soothe one another with pleasant words.

...

In the mountain forest, Fei Changliu looked over the disciples concealed among the trees according to the usual drill and wore a grave expression.

The defensive line had actually contracted all the way to the innermost layer.

During most previous drills, their deployments had been around the outer edge of this region. Today, however, the manpower had withdrawn to the perimeter of the core zone and abandoned the outer defenses entirely.

“There seems to be movement underground!” Wu Shaohuan suddenly warned from beside him.

Boom!

A section of earth at the foot of the mountain abruptly collapsed inward. A group of soldiers rushed out, none other than troops from the outer defensive force, making everyone jump for nothing.

The Liuxian Sect disciples had not yet understood what was happening when more booming sounds came in succession. All around the foot of the mountain, layers of earth kept collapsing to reveal tunnel entrances, and unit after unit of troops poured out, gathering below like a tide.

Fei Changliu and the others stared in astonishment.

When had so many tunnels been dug beneath the ground?

And why did there seem to be so many more troops than usual?

More importantly, most of the soldiers emerging from the tunnels were carrying all manner of equipment.

The moment the troops appeared, scattered components were rapidly fitted and assembled. One siege crossbow after another, each nearly the size of a carriage, quickly took shape before the eyes of the Liuxian Sect disciples. The soldiers' movements were exceptionally practiced.

More troops kept emerging behind them, carrying long steel spears and stacking them in piles beside the siege crossbows. Several soldiers braced themselves with their feet and hauled together with both hands to draw back each thick bowstring. Five steel spears were loaded side by side as a single volley. Once triggered, all five could be fired together.

Three siege crossbows formed one group, arranged front, middle, and rear. Group after group was deployed like this until they stretched densely along the foot of the mountain.

The Liuxian Sect people had seen the garrison training with such weapons before, but they had never imagined so many siege crossbows were hidden here. How much money had this cost?

Rows upon rows of loaded steel spears gleamed coldly enough to make one's heart chill.

These weapons could fire bolts deep into city walls. During sieges, they were heavy weapons used both to suppress defenders on the battlements and to give assault troops spear shafts embedded in the wall that could be used as footholds for climbing.

If something like that struck a person, the result hardly needed imagining.

In truth, even the local garrison had not known so many siege crossbows were hidden here.

Yuan Gang had begun arranging them secretly long ago. He had drawn up designs for components that could be dismantled, then ordered craftsmen to manufacture every part strictly to specification. The pieces had been stored secretly inside the tunnels. Whenever they were needed, they could be brought out and assembled immediately.

Only a small number had ever been issued to the garrison for ordinary training.

Behind the siege crossbows, square formations of troops linked one after another. Every man was an archer. Once the ranks were set, arrows came out of quivers and were laid to bowstrings. The bows were not yet drawn. Arrowheads pointed toward the ground as the formations waited silently for orders.

Several figures flashed through the forest.

Yuan Gang and the men who had just finished inspecting the surroundings arrived. Uncle Chen had one hand on Yuan Gang's arm, drawing him along as they skimmed through the air.

The moment Fei Changliu met Yuan Gang, he asked, “What exactly is going on?”

“Someone wants to make a move against us.”

Yuan Gang left only those words behind and continued downhill toward Su Jieren, the commander responsible for this position.

Su Jieren was directing the deployment. The moment he saw Yuan Gang arrive, he cupped his hands in greeting. “Master Yuan.”

The two were old acquaintances who had known one another for many years. Long ago, Su Jieren had been the man who accompanied Yuan Gang to Nanshan Temple to deliver a letter.

His position had risen alongside Shang Chaozong's fortunes, and he was now a commander with troops under his authority. Shang Chaozong had assigned him to guard this place at Yuan Gang's own suggestion.

“Is everything ready?” Yuan Gang asked.

“Everything is ready. Master Yuan, rest easy. Even if an army of a million came, with these things here they could forget about breaking through our defenses in a short time!” Su Jieren pointed confidently at the rows of siege crossbows, then added with some regret, “It's a pity they're troublesome to take along on campaign.”

Yuan Gang understood what he meant.

Even if all these siege crossbows were dismantled into components for transport, they still represented an enormous burden on the baggage train. The large quantity of steel spears alone was no small weight.

Moving them short distances was manageable. Over a long march, manpower alone could not bear it. Without a powerful transportation system, they would be extremely difficult to move and would greatly slow an army's advance.

Yuan Gang asked, “You didn't beat the grass and startle the snake?”

“There shouldn't be a problem. Several hundred men were left around the perimeter to patrol as usual. From the outside, nothing unusual can be seen.”

The moment Su Jieren received Yuan Gang's message, he had not hesitated at all. He immediately issued orders according to the plan they had rehearsed beforehand.

Fei Changliu came over and asked again, “Who wants to make a move against us?”

“We still can't be certain. This is only a precaution.” Yuan Gang was telling the truth.

They did not actually know the enemy's exact situation. Niu Youdao had ordered them to prepare simply as a safeguard against the unexpected.

By Niu Youdao's judgment, anyone wishing to kill him in a place defended by heavy troops had only three possible approaches.

The first was a secretive assassination method, poison for example. That possibility was nearly nonexistent. Dedicated people handled everything he ate and used, and all of it was inspected carefully.

The second was to air-drop experts directly into the villa for a killing strike.

The third was to send a massive force in a frontal assault.

The present deployment was designed against the third possibility. The outer defensive line had to stop such an attack so it would not create chaos inside the core area.

So long as they could prevent the third possibility, the second became considerably easier to handle. The reason was simple: it would be difficult to commit enough flying mounts to air-drop too many experts at once.

Fei Changliu looked back at the Elders accompanying him. Everyone exchanged glances.

None of them were fools. They all had some idea who might attack this place.

The most likely culprit was the imperial court, and the target was very likely Niu Youdao.

Yuan Gang continued, “Sect Leader Fei, the troop strength here is limited. To maximize our ability to hold the line, I removed the shield formations that would normally be placed in front. So I want the disciples of the three sects stationed ahead of the siege crossbows to stop strong cultivators from hurling weapons back at us and disrupting our firing lines. Also, these siege crossbows are extremely difficult to cock. I'd like the three sects' disciples to help with that as well, so we can increase the rate of fire.”

In truth, their troop strength was hardly small.

Because this region existed to protect Niu Youdao, Shang Chaozong had simply designated the entire area as a major garrison zone. A full fifty thousand troops were stationed here.

Could that truly be called few?

At this point, could Fei Changliu refuse?

He had received no warning at all beforehand and had made no preparations of his own. At a moment like this, he did not dare oppose Niu Youdao. He could only nod, then turn and have the orders passed down immediately.

He also understood that when it came to large-scale formation warfare, his people simply could not compare with soldiers trained for it every day.

Liuxian Sect disciples began coming down one after another and mixing into the defensive formation to cooperate.

They cooperated, but the arrangement was chaotic and lacked discipline. Their positions were loose and scattered.

Yuan Gang frowned slightly but said nothing.

He knew these people could not be compared with soldiers who trained in formations every day.

“Go tell Master Dao the outer defensive line is ready.” Yuan Gang turned and said this to Old Eighth Zhu.

Old Eighth Zhu immediately flashed away toward the villa.

...

On a mountaintop across the official road, more than a dozen large flying birds had gathered, along with several hundred cultivators.

Ga Miaoshui and Gao Shaoming stood together, watching a large mass of Feihua Pavilion cultivators surge out of the forest below. Figures rose and fell one after another as they crossed the official road and rushed toward the heavily defended area around Maolu Villa.

The sentries atop the lookout towers discovered the sudden arrival of so many cultivators. Someone immediately seized the rope beneath a hanging bell and rang it frantically.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The patrol squads below instantly turned and ran, diving into houses and hiding in whatever corners they could find.

Before leaving, Su Jieren had issued clear orders: if the enemy appeared, they only needed to raise the alarm. They were not to resist and were to hide immediately.

He knew very well that anyone daring to attack this place would not be someone those few soldiers left outside could withstand. Trying would merely get them killed.

Feihua Pavilion and Zhenling Academy forces closed in from all directions at once.

Leading part of Feihua Pavilion's disciples in a frontal attack, Cao Yuer shouted, “Ignore them!”

Large groups of cultivators swept through the air with rushing sounds, paying no attention to the soldiers running below. Those men were not their objective. They had come to launch a surprise attack on Maolu Villa, not waste time tangling with ordinary troops.

Standing on a mountaintop and watching the approaches, Yuan Gang saw the mass of figures rapidly leaping through the distance. His voice sank.

“They're here. Su Jieren, it's up to you. Hold them back!”

Su Jieren's face tightened. He said nothing.

Shhk!

His sword came free of its sheath, and he pointed the blade toward the front.

The horn blower beside him immediately raised an ox horn to his lips. His cheeks bulged as a deep, mournful blast rolled out.

Ooooo—

All along the foot of the mountain came a mass of creaking sounds.

The bows that the archers had held lowered were raised together. Bowstrings drew taut, and arrowheads angled toward the sky.

Beside the many siege crossbows, soldier after soldier raised a heavy wooden mallet, ready to strike the release mechanisms at any moment.

Fei Changliu and the others standing beside Yuan Gang all wore grim expressions.

They could see clearly that the attackers were not merely a handful of cultivators. Judging only by the figures visible to the eye, there were probably already more attackers than Liuxian Sect had disciples in total.

Their hearts sank.

As Cao Yuer and her people leapt forward, she too gradually sensed something wrong.

Out near the perimeter, she had seen a few soldiers fleeing.

But after pressing deeper into the defended region, she did not see another person anywhere.

Even though this was meant to be a surprise attack, intended precisely to catch the other side unprepared, the fact that such a heavily defended area had shown almost no serious reaction still felt abnormal.

Then she crossed another ridge.

The answer to her unease appeared at once.

At the foot of the mountain ahead, ranks of troops stood waiting in full battle formation.

Cao Yuer's expression changed sharply.

They had been prepared all along?

[End of Chapter 590]