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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 19: The Wokou Attack
"My lord, you may not know this, but Liu Quan is an elder of the Fire Departure Sect. The Fire Departure Sect is one of the Three Major Sects of Yangzhou; who would dare to offend them? I've heard that not only in the Northern Frontier but also in the southern regions of the Tang Dynasty, they have influence. Our monthly earnings are limited, just enough to get by. A single meal is not enough to fill our stomachs. If we eat our fill, there won't be anything left for the next meal. The rest is taken away by those above us," the Captain lamented.
Lin Feng sneered, "Perhaps the border was once under the Fire Departure Sect's control, but soon, all of this will change."
"My lord, are you... planning to take action against General Liu?" the Captain asked in surprise.
"You soldiers have dedicated your lives to serving the Tang Dynasty; how can you endure such a torturous existence? I, Lin Feng, assure you all today that those who commit heinous acts will surely meet a bad end," Lin Feng declared solemnly.
"My lord, are you really going to act against Liu Quan? He has many followers," the Captain said incredulously.
"Keep your voices down. Liu Quan has just left; we cannot let him hear us."
"Rest assured, my lord. This trade route is in a remote area surrounded by desolate mountains and hills. They have gone far enough that it’s impossible for them to hear us. There won’t be any spies from General Liu here."
"Good. As long as everyone understands what I just said, remember to keep your mouths shut," Lin Feng instructed.
"Of course, we will never speak a word," the Captain vowed earnestly.
Lin Feng nodded slightly but suddenly thought of something and asked, "What? This is a remote wilderness? Which garrison is closest to here?"
"The closest is General Zhao's unit. General Zhao is also a disciple of the Fire Departure Sect and serves under Liu Quan," the Captain replied.
"What a coincidence."
Lin Feng immediately connected the dots. Yanmen City was quite far from here; how could Liu Quan arrive so quickly? It seemed he had been waiting for some time. Lin Feng's expression turned serious as he asked, "What is the troop strength here?"
"There are a total of seventy soldiers, including one Armored Soldier," the Captain answered.
"Such a small number?"
Seeing Lin Feng's grave expression, the Captain said, "My lord, you don't think General Liu has ulterior motives, do you?"
Lin Feng's expression grew increasingly serious as he said, "When things seem unusual, it indicates trouble. If even you think this way, then it’s likely more complicated than we imagined. Prepare all the brothers for battle. Bring me a set of armor."
"Understood, we will defend you to the death," the Captain replied resolutely.
As Lin Feng anticipated, the ambush came at midnight. He had not left before nightfall; if they were surrounded, leaving early would only make matters worse.
In the wilderness, over five hundred Eastern Samurai, armed with crossbows and wielding their katana with incredible speed, surged forward to encircle the outpost.
"Kill everyone inside the outpost. Fire the crossbows!"
Countless torches were hurled toward the wooden cabin, and at the same time, arrows were released. They wielded metal crossbows engraved with powerful runes, capable of piercing through Fate Realization cultivators.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh...
Numerous iron arrows sliced through the air and struck the wooden cabin, instantly turning it into a beehive of splintered wood. Following a series of loud crashes, the cabin collapsed.
At that moment, a flare shot up from the ruins of the cabin and exploded in the sky, illuminating the night.
Ten miles away from this outpost, Zhao He’s troops spotted the distress signal and immediately reported to Zhao He, "General, there’s a call for help from Shuangya Hill."
"Understood. Have the brothers prepare."
Zhao He walked into the military tent where a man was reclining in a beautiful woman's embrace while drinking. This man was Liu Quan.
"My lord, the show is about to begin," Zhao He reported.
"Just wait. The Commander will die at the hands of the Eastern Samurai. Perfect," Liu Quan said with a smug smile.
After Lin Feng took office, he completely took control of all trade routes, leaving Liu Quan without any financial resources. Without money, how could he support so many people?
Upon learning that Lin Feng had gone to Baytai, Liu Quan realized that an unprecedented opportunity had arrived.
More importantly, Jiang Wannian had risen in the southern frontier. If he were to invade Chang'an while a rebellion broke out here, bringing the forces of the Northern Frontier along, the Tang Dynasty would be doomed.
The arrival of Lin Feng had already threatened Liu Quan's control over the Northern Frontier. Thus, he had no choice but to resort to such desperate measures. With Baytai in turmoil and Wind Nation in chaos, it was an excellent opportunity to strike.
The Outpost had been besieged for a long time without any sign of calming down. Liu Quan was restless and stepped out of the military tent. He gazed at the distant flames of war and cursed, "Useless fools! Can't the Eastern Samurai dig their way into the ground? How can a few hundred men not handle a mere dozen?"
Another scout approached to report, "General, a group from the east is heading towards the battlefield."
"Quickly send someone to intercept them," Zhao He ordered.
"Yes."
The group from the east was small, only about thirty men. Upon seeing the heavily guarded soldiers ahead, they shouted loudly, "We are from Lanya County Patrol Soldiers. Which unit is stationed ahead?"
"This is under General Zhao's command," the messenger shouted back.
"We received a distress signal from ahead. The County Governor has ordered us to come and investigate."
"This is an ambush set by General Zhao to lure the Wokou in and annihilate them."
"I see."
"In order to ensure that all Wokou are eliminated, you should return and inform the County Governor to seal off the city gates and prohibit anyone from passing through."
"Understood, my lord."
As the Patrol Soldiers retreated, the battle at the Outpost also reached its conclusion, with sounds of fighting gradually fading away. The desolate mountains returned to tranquility.
Liu Quan looked at the dying flames of war with a satisfied expression: "These Wokou may be useless, but at least they completed their mission."
"My lord, what shall we do next?" Zhao He inquired.
“Performing Opera sing the full set, order Soldiers to set off, kill Wokou.”
“Yes.”
Zhao He looked at his subordinates and commanded, “All troops mobilize. Encounter Wokou, and slay them on sight.”
Close to ten thousand troops set off in a grand procession. As they approached Outpost, the wind carried the scent of blood.
“General, a corpse has been discovered here,” reported the vanguard.
“There’s one here too.”
On the desolate mountains, the bodies of Eastern Samurai and their katanas were scattered everywhere. The eyes of those who had died were wide open, as if they had witnessed something terrifying.
Liu Quan personally examined the bodies and wondered, “This place is still some distance from Outpost. How did the Battle extend this far? Did Lin Feng lead a few dozen men to defeat hundreds of Eastern Samurai?”
“Impossible. Lin Feng is only at the Initial Stage of Enlightenment. The leader of this Eastern Samurai is a Grandmaster Cultivation.”
The further they went, the more bodies they encountered. Liu Quan’s expression darkened as he said, “Quickly go to Outpost and see what has happened.”
The vanguard soon returned, saying, “General, there’s a squad of Armored Soldier cleaning up the battlefield ahead.”
“Armored Soldier? The Outpost only has one set of Xuanjia. Where did these Armored Soldier come from?” Liu Quan shouted.
“My lord, this…”
“Useless! Step aside.”
Liu Quan rushed to the site of Outpost. The original Outpost was no more, reduced to rubble. When Liu Quan saw the insignia on the armor of the opposing Armored Soldier, he gasped, “The Ouyang Family’s Armored Soldier!”
“Liu Quan, are you here for reinforcements?”
Hearing a familiar voice, Liu Quan shivered. He immediately turned around to see a face adorned with a gentle smile.
"Commander, you..."
"What's wrong? Are you surprised to see me alive?"
Liu Quan quickly composed himself, finally understanding why he had survived the numerous assassination attempts after Lin Feng ordered the closure of all trade routes.
"Even with the Ouyang Family's Armored Soldiers protecting him, that Master Realm Eastern Samurai should have been able to kill him. What allowed him to withstand an attack from a Master Realm Walker? Also, how did the Ouyang Family's Armored Soldiers end up here?"
Liu Quan couldn't make sense of it all, but he feigned calmness and said, "What kind of joke is this, my lord? Upon hearing about the Wokou's invasion, I rushed here with all my men. Thankfully, you are safe."
Lin Feng said meaningfully, "Liu Quan, if I were you, I wouldn't be in such a hurry to come. After all, even if I die, it would be at the hands of the Wokou, and no one above can blame me. As for you, you might just have a chance to take my position as Commander. I know many generals resent me for being a parachute gambler."
"My lord, what kind of joke is this? You are handsome, wise, and mighty; we all admire you greatly," Liu Quan said with a grin as he flattered.
"Liu Quan, let me introduce you. This is Elder Ouyang Xiangru from the Ouyang Family. We owe him a great deal for his assistance this time," Lin Feng introduced.
"Damn it. What a meddlesome old fool," Liu Quan cursed inwardly but smiled and said, "Thank you, Elder Ouyang, for your tremendous support. The entire Northern Frontier will remember your kindness. If there’s ever anything you need in the future, please don’t hesitate to ask."
Ouyang Xiangru replied with a smile, "General Liu is too polite. The Ouyang Family has always maintained good relations with the Tang Dynasty; it is only right that we help each other. However, tonight's Wokou are somewhat unusual. They usually only cause trouble at sea as pirates and rarely come into Tang territory to kill. Moreover, their target seems very clear: they are after Lin Commander."
Lin Feng chuckled and said, "Elder Ouyang means to say that we have a traitor within our Northern Frontier. Liu Quan, what do you think?" Lin Feng asked.
Liu Quan awkwardly laughed and said, "It does seem like quite a coincidence. I wonder if there are any Eastern Samurai left alive? I could interrogate them severely to find out who the traitor is."
Ouyang Xiangru responded, "There happens to be one survivor—the leader of the Eastern Samurai."
"Ampei Taro has been captured?" Liu Quan exclaimed in surprise.
Lin Feng smiled slyly and said, "Oh? Liu Quan, you know the name of the Eastern Samurai leader."
Liu Quan felt a sense of unease as he inadvertently let slip some information. He quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "There has been a group of pirates causing trouble for our Northern Frontier people. The leader is called Ampei Taro. I'm just guessing; I can't be sure if these Wokou are the same pirates."
"Oh, what a coincidence. The leader is indeed named Ampei Taro."
Lin Feng pressed further, and Liu Quan's heart raced with anxiety, cold sweat trickling down his back. He surveyed the battlefield and realized that it was not the Ouyang Family's Armored Soldiers who had come to their aid and secured victory.
From the numerous Eastern Samurai lying dead and the scattered bodies of those who had fled, it appeared to be an exceptionally well-executed ambush.
"How does Lin Feng know about the Wokou's attack? Could there be a traitor among my ranks?" Liu Quan thought, panic rising within him.
"No, something feels off about Lin Feng's tone."
Liu Quan suddenly realized something, a chill creeping into his chest: "The situation has been exposed; he must know I'm the mastermind behind this. It seems today will either be his death or mine. But first, I need to drive away that old man Ouyang Xiangru; he is a powerful Master Realm expert." (To be continued...)
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