Chapter 182
Book 16 Chapter 11 - Avenging The Great Enmity
Xiang Shaolong and Shan Rou started their ferocious attack. From their vantage point up in the roof, they rapidly shot down more than ten men before Teng Yi and the rest forced open the gates and rushed into the manor.
The two were puzzled when they did not see Tian Dan escape from inside the building. They rapidly climbed up the roof and entered the room through the skylight. There, they quickly found a secret tunnel that Tian Dan and his men used to escape. They plunged in immediately, giving chase.
The tunnel was wide and straight, reinforced with wooden pillars and rammed earth panels. It even had ventilation ducts, demonstrating its meticulous construction.
The two of them did not dare to light a torch and could only grope forward using the wall as a guide. They soon reached the other end of the tunnel, realizing that it actually emptied out info the fringe of the forest grove. Right outside the grove stood the little wharf. The fis.h.i.+ng boats had long been scuttled. Ten over human shadows were escaping upriver along the bank.
Xiang Shaolong fired a signal rocket before the two of them gave chase.
After a mad sprint, six of the opponents fell back, drew their swords and attacked towards them.
How would Xiang Shaolong have the patience to d.i.c.ker with them? He drew out his flying needles, waved his hands and shot out the needles under the cover of night. The six men fell to the ground en ma.s.se.
The remaining seven enemies did not antic.i.p.ate that their six comrades could not even delay them by one second. With a shout of command, they left the river bank and scattered towards a small hill and the jungle by the river.
Xiang Shaolong fired another two needles, instantly felling two more enemies.
Shan Rou's bloodl.u.s.t was kindled and she threw her flying dagger. An enemy who had just started climbing the hill was..h.i.t in the back and tumbled down. At this moment, Shan Rou recognized one of the men racing up the hill as Tian Dan. Strength surged into her legs from G.o.d knows where as she overtook Xiang Shaolong, flying up the hill like an arrow, catching up with the enemy.
Xiang Shaolong feared for her safety and gathering his energy, chased up the hill.
The sound of clas.h.i.+ng blades rang out. Shan Rou's delicate shouts interspersed with the enemy's blood-curdling shrieks. However, peace and tranquility was quickly restored.
By the time Xiang Shaolong reached the hilltop, the two fighters had already separated. They were both covered with blood. Fresh blood flowed from Shan Rou's left arm and right shoulder.
Tian Dan was holding a long sword facing Shan Rou. His diaphragm was heaving up and down. His face was pale as a corpse under the moonlight.
Tian Dan took a glimpse at Xiang Shaolong and laughed bitterly, saying: "Bravo, you have finally caught me!" Shan Rou said vehemently: "Tian Dan, do you know who I am?" Hoofbeats sounded. Teng Yi and the rest arrived with torches, surrounding the three people in a circle.
Zhao Zhi shrieked and flew down her horse, viciously shouting: "When you put the three generations of my family to death, did you ever think there would be this day?" Shan Rou said icily: "He is mine. I want to kill him with my own hands!" Xiang Shaolong went to Zhao Zhi's side and whispered: "Let your Sister Rou do it!" With a "Hua" sound, Zhao Zhi leaned into Xiang Shaolong's shoulder and started crying agitatedly.
Tian Dan remained calm and laughed loudly, saying: "I Tian Dan have killed countless people in my lifetime. How can I remember whom I have killed before? Xiang Shaolong, you are good. I Tian Dan submit to you!" Reversing his blade, he slashed his neck and fell backwards, dying instantly.
Shan Rou's entire body began to s.h.i.+ver and she knelt down.
Zhao Zhi rushed over and held her tightly.
The two women cried bitterly on each other's shoulders. Their cries resonated through the whole forest.
This category defining, ruthless and ambitious person had finally perished.
Teng Yi jumped off his horse, cut off Tian Dan's head and shouted mightily: "Let us go!" Xiang Shaolong was numb in his heart.
It was a feeling that was hard to describe.
On the one hand he was pleased that Shan Rou, her sisters and Teng Yi had avenged the extermination of their family.
He had also accomplished an impossible goal himself.
But seeing this historically celebrated character committing suicide in front of him gave him a sense of loss.
Still, this had all become an unchangeable piece of history.
When Xiao Pan ascends the throne and the evil Lu Buwei had been killed, he would leave this warring central plains and live the peaceful secluded life he had always dreamed of. He would never again return to the central plains.
(Can't help but think of RWX in the Dongfang Bubai movie…. where there is man, there is strife…. where can you retreat to?)
They returned to their s.h.i.+ps and set sail back to Shouchun.
That evening the whole party drank themselves silly and slept all day the next day before waking at different times.
Xiang Shaolong came to the cabin with a hangover. The three ladies were chatting in a low voice. They looked happy and at ease.
Zhao Zhi gleefully called out: "Shaolong, Sister Rou is willing to return with us to Xianyang!" Xiang Shaolong was extremely pleased and replied: "That day you really were lying to me!" Shan Rou displayed an unreasonable yet lovely look and said: "Told you I was bluffing long ago. I'm still angry when I think about it. You were totally unaffected."
Ji Yanran laughed and said: "Sister Rou should not be angry. Our husband keeps everything in his heart. His words are hard but his heart is soft. You must not blame him!" Shan Rou replied disdainfully: "He is your husband, what does that have to do with Shan Rou?" She then giggled lovably and gave him a sweet smile.
Everyone knew her disposition and naturally n.o.body took her words for real.
They sailed upriver. The s.h.i.+p moved slowly. They took a day more returning than they did setting out, eventually reaching Shouchun.
Xiang Shaolong did not stop but continued sailing towards Chengyang as he had promised Madam Zhuang that he would visit her for few days as he pa.s.sed by Dian on his way home.
After disembarking, they rendezvoused with their special forces troops and headed South towards Dian.
Madam Zhuang and her son was accompanied by the freshly minted General Dong Luzi. He commanded eight thousand Chu soldiers and had recovered most of the territory occupied by the rebel army. As the people of Dian found out that Zhuang Baoyi had returned, they revolted in large numbers and joined the new Dian army. This army grew to about twenty thousand people and they joined hands with the Chu army. They were presently besieging the Dian capital Gaoze.
Gaoze sits on a plateau with its back against a mountain, truly an impregnable stronghold. Since the city had adequate water and food, the allied army had not been able to defeat the defenders and had even lost close to a thousand men.
Witnessing the demise of the Yelang King, all the va.s.sal states dispatched armies in the restorative effort. The Qielan King even led the soldiers himself, forcing entry into the Yelang capital and setting up a new ruler before returning in triumph. From then, Yelang people were never again strong enough to bully the neighboring va.s.sal states.
As Xiang Shaolong and his men reached the allied army camp at Gaoze, the besieging soldiers had just suffered a defeat. Casualties littered the field, piled on one another.
When Lou Wuxin and Madam Zhuang knew that Xiang Shaolong had come as promised, they were overjoyed at the unexpected news and ushered everyone into the camp.
Lou Wuxin wanted to organize a feast to welcome the party from their journey but was refused tactfully by Xiang Shaolong. They held a meeting immediately at the commander's tent, looking for ways to defeat the city.
After listening to Lou Wuxin detail Gaoze's terrain and environment, Xiang Shaolong calmly said: "The most formidable characteristic of the city is that it is set against the mountain. We will use this to our advantage. I can guarantee that we will be in the city within three days."
Madam Zhuang, Lou Wuxin and the rest of the high-ranking officers all bugged their eyes in disbelief.
That night, Xiang Shaolong and his party marched through the night and arrived at the rocky mountain behind Gaoze before setting camp and organizing his soldiers.
The next morning after Xiang Shaolong and Teng Yi had thoroughly reconnoitered the mountain, they identified five routes of approach and sent men up to install metal hoops at regular intervals and to deploy climbing equipment.
These were all basic techniques taught to all the elite special forces. With the installations complete, at nightfall, Xiang Shaolong and his party used the climbing equipment and specially installed rock steps to quickly ascend to the undulating and overgrown mountaintop.
The seven to eight mile long Gaoze city wall stretched in both directions from beneath their feet.
Lou Wuxin was marshaling his army, besieging the city night and day, drawing the attention of the rebel army.
War cries and the sound of stone piercing projectiles rang out unceasingly.
Ji Yanran and the two ladies also reached the summit at this moment. They crouched beside Xiang Shaolong and Teng Yi while delicately catching their breath.
Where they were, it was only about seven hundred feet from the bottom. The average person would be shocked when looking down, but it was child's play for the elite special forces who regularly trained on the moon reaching mountain near the Wu family ranch. That mountain was three times the height of this mountain.
Teng Yi issued a single command and the four