Chapter 158: Prefect Calls Up Troops, Determined to Destroy the Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army

At the Hot Spring Residence, You personally led about two hundred prefectural soldiers to search the forest for a long time, yet still saw no trace of Xiao Qidi or Duan Wu.

But he still firmly believed that two people who had taken Soft Tendon Powder and were also carrying a child could not possibly escape his territory.

Moreover, with five thousand commandery soldiers encircling from outside, not to mention three living adults, even a mouse could not slip away under the watch of so many elite troops.

The night had already fallen, further hampering the search.

You had to increase manpower, sending all the servants from the residence out, even the maidens joined the search.

Even though the number reached over three hundred, the forest area was large, still insufficient.

Considering that as time passed, the Soft Tendon Powder in Xiao Qidi and Duan Wu's bodies would gradually wear off, the later they were found the harder to deal with, You ordered a small portion of the five thousand commandery soldiers to guard the narrow pass checkpoints, while the rest moved inward from the outer layer, centering on the house, continuously tightening the encirclement, cooperating with his search.

He just wouldn't believe it; using this method that leaves no blade of grass unturned and digs three feet into the ground, yet still cannot catch the person.

The search in the pitch‑black forest raged like a blaze.

Outside the forest, Ning Jinli had arrived with fifteen hundred Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army troops.

"Change gear, dismount, proceed on foot," Ning Jinli ordered.

The armor worn by the Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army outside appeared similar to Daxuan Army's style, but was manufactured in Ning Jinli's factory with modern techniques and materials, more durable than the strongest heavy armor of this era, yet weighing only as much as light armor.

In large battles, it provides excellent protection.

However, being metal, it inevitably reduces some agility, and movement generates friction and clanking sounds.

So under these circumstances it is not particularly suitable.

The group immediately shed the armor, revealing black bullet‑proof combat suits underneath, and from their weapon bags selected crossbows, arrows and short swords better suited for forest combat, and put on Night Vision Devices.

In an instant, these heavy cavalry, accustomed to charging the vast battlefield with swords and spears, became special forces capable of night raids in the forest.

The troops readied themselves, and Ning Jinli instructed: "The terrain here is easy to defend but hard to attack; ahead there are several hidden outposts, so our movement will surely be detected. We'll first concentrate on a narrow pass to break through quickly. Our sole target is the Longyuan Governor; we must capture him alive."

With the orders given, the fifteen hundred Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army swiftly launched the raid.

After roughly half a incense stick's worth of time—

"Sir! Sir, something's wrong!" someone shouted in the forest, hurrying to You.

You, irritated for still not finding Xiao Qidi's trail, kicked the newcomer aside and said, "What are you shouting about? How could I be the one that's not good?"

"No, no…" the newcomer panted on the ground, "The hidden outpost discovered… discovered the situation! About a thousand people have broken through!"

You asked, "What kind of people?"

"They all seem to be dressed in black. The outpost can't see them clearly, but they appear to be well‑trained, not a ragtag mob."

"Oh? I see, then it must be Duan Wu's men sent to rescue, hahaha."

"Sir, why are you laughing?"

The reporter was nervous, but You instead laughed, which the reporter could not understand.

You, with a relaxed face, said, "First, their dispatch proves the person I intend to kill has not escaped, which is good; second, I have five thousand elite troops here while they have only a little over a thousand, and I enjoy positional advantage, also good; finally, those thousand plus cannot even breach this narrow pass, merely an egg striking a stone, overreaching. With good news and a joke, how could I not laugh?"

Hearing You say that, the reporter felt relieved and quickly offered a few compliments.

You waved a hand, "Go. Report any news to me. If I didn't have urgent matters now, I'd truly like to go and see with my own eyes those over‑confident troops get stuck and look miserable."

"Yes, sir!" the other one hurried off.

In the forest, torchlight flickered, and shadows darted.

You, with a calm expression, hands behind his back, strolled leisurely, waiting for his subordinates to find Xiao Qidi and Duan Wu; as for anyone trying to force entry, he paid no heed.

On the other side, the Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army ignored the hidden outposts along the way and reached the target narrow pass at top speed.

About ten meters ahead, a sheer cliff rose, with only a gap narrow enough for two or three people side by side; lanterns hung beside the gap, faintly lighting a winding stone path that led in.

No wonder You was so confident.

This kind of pass, even with a simple defense, not to mention a thousand, even tens of thousands would find it hard to breach.

"Yo ho? Your hidden outpost wasn't wrong after all, indeed so many have come!" a mocking voice suddenly rang from above the pass.

Ning Jinli looked up, following the voice.

She saw defensive works on both sides of the pass, resembling castle walls, fused with the cliff, several meters above ground, hidden well in the night.

If the other side hadn't spoken, Ning Jinli might not have discovered it so quickly.

A group of armored soldiers looked down toward this side, their faces full of mockery.

The speaker must have been the commander of those soldiers.

Ning Jinli thought, in this era, a Prefect holds local military authority; the Longyuan Governor reallocating commandery soldiers for private use is not unexpected.

But ultimately, the local troops also belong to the Daxuan Army.

Ning Jinli, not wishing the Daxuan Army to slaughter each other, looked up and said, "We are soldiers under Xituan Pass Duan General, acting on His Majesty's command to capture the Longyuan Governor who has committed heinous crimes. We hope you soldiers will not be henchmen for the tiger; just let us pass."

"Yo, how strange, the leader is a woman?" a chorus of remarks erupted at the pass.

"How pitiful is Xituan Pass? No men left? They even chose a woman to lead troops?"

"Hahaha!"

"……"

The opposing commander leisurely said, "You have told us that General Duan is a regicidal traitor, whose plot was uncovered by You, and who now seeks to kill You to silence you. You, a little woman, still dare to fool us? Utterly laughable! The ones who should not be henchmen for the tiger are you."

Ning Jinli tried to appeal further, patiently and sincerely saying, "You have all been deceived by the Prefect! His deeds are atrocious; His Majesty now knows everything and will have him arrested! As local soldiers of Longyuan, haven't you heard any rumors over the years of the Prefect's inhumane governance?"

These words caused the mocking laughter at the pass to subside considerably.

The opposing commander's face showed a complex expression.

The other soldiers also slightly frowned.

They had indeed heard rumors, but only unfounded gossip; having long been stationed at the camp, they knew little of the common folk's situation.

Moreover, as local troops of Longyuan, they must obey the local Prefect; that is their duty.

As for those chaotic rumors, they cannot be taken seriously.

"Enough chatter!" the commander at the pass growled, "You rebels dare…"

Fire arrows! Kill them!

The commander gave the order.

Whoosh—

The soldiers at the pass quickly grabbed their longbows.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The piercing arrows' whistling filled the air.

Several Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army soldiers quickly stepped forward, forming a human wall in front of Ning Jinli.

Ning Jinli wasn't wearing protective combat gear, so she could only crouch and temporarily hide behind the Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army soldiers.

In the blink of an eye, dozens of bronze arrows rained down, striking the Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army soldiers, then bouncing off the ground, causing them no harm.

Alas, communication failed, there's nothing to be done," Ning Jinli sighed, grabbed the walkie-talkie and ordered, "You may act now!"

Immediately, several Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army soldiers rushed out, quickly running around both sides to the bottom of the pass, placed a few simple explosive packs at the wall base, then hurried back.

Fairy, placement complete!" came a voice over the walkie-talkie.

Good, detonate." Ning Jinli said.

Above the pass, those commandery soldiers were still firing arrows wildly.

Suddenly, a tremendous boom.

Below the pass, flames shot into the sky, the surrounding earth shook and mountains trembled!

Before those commandery soldiers could react, the pass's fortifications collapsed in an instant.

The gap that originally allowed only two or three people to pass side by side was also expanded by several times due to the explosion.

When the commotion subsided, amidst the rolling thick smoke, only the wails of the commandery soldiers remained.

Ning Jinli's expression was grave; even though she had used restrained explosives to avoid casualties, they still possessed tremendous destructive power.

Send a team to inspect," Ning Jinli ordered via the walkie-talkie, "If anyone has injuries so severe they threaten life, take them for treatment; the rest, tie them up and set them aside for now, to be dealt with after we capture the prefect.

Elsewhere, You the Prefect and his subordinates in the mountains all heard this sudden tremor.

You frowned, instinctively looking toward the direction of the disturbance.

However, the night was dark, and being in the forest, naturally nothing could be seen.

Don't just stand there; even if the sky falls, you must continue searching for me!" You roared at the dazed crowd, then assigned several prefecture soldiers to go check what was happening outside the forest.

Not long after, the few prefecture soldiers sent out came running back, rolling and crawling, faces full of terror.

Sir! A pass has collapsed!

The entire checkpoint has collapsed!

From high ground we saw far off…… the troops of Duan Wu had all broken in…… and are now rushing this way!

Hearing this news, You's face showed shock.

Nonsense!" he grabbed a prefecture soldier's collar, "How could a perfectly good pass collapse? It's not made of tofu!

The prefecture soldiers were about to cry, "Sir… we saw it with our own eyes, we definitely wouldn't dare lie to you! I… I don't know how it collapsed, but… it just… it just collapsed!

You's pupils trembled, he gritted his teeth and asked, 'What about the people guarding that checkpoint?'

The prefecture soldiers shook their heads, stammering, 'We don't know… that place is already a mess, we didn't dare run into the pass to look, we just hurried back to report to you…

You's cheeks were tight, his expression uncertain and doubtful.

Although this sounds too absurd, just now he indeed also heard the vibration.

The prefecture soldiers probably wouldn't dare lie to him either.

After a brief thought, he decisively said, 'Pass my order: deploy two thousand commandery troops to surround and annihilate Duan Wu's rebel band! Leave no living soul for me!'

This time, the five thousand troops he transferred from the garrison are all elite forces of the commandery.

Regardless of equipment and combat ability, they are stronger than ordinary soldiers.

And Xituan Gate, that barren place where even birds don't defecate, obviously couldn't have any formidable equipment or weapons.

Therefore he concluded that sending just two thousand troops would be enough to wipe out the roughly one thousand soldiers of Xituan Gate.

——

After Ning Jinli led the Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army in breaking through the checkpoint, she quickly arrived near the forest.

According to Xiao Qidi, seeing the forest meant entering the core area of the Hot Spring Residence.

Ning Jinli also quickly noticed faint torchlight seeping through the gaps in the forest trees, the distance appearing not particularly far.

If nothing unexpected, You the Prefect would still be there searching everywhere for Xiao Qidi's traces.

Spread out, teams of ten, surround the area with torchlight," Ning Jinli conveyed via the walkie-talkie, "If you encounter the Longyuan Prefect's guards and servants putting up strong resistance, show no mercy.

These people's situation differs from the commandery soldiers; they all know their own prefect's circumstances, one for one, killing them is not unjust.

After issuing the order, Ning Jinli circulated her internal strength to increase speed, leading the charge into the forest.

Over a thousand Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor soldiers immediately formed ranks, like a black torrent, swiftly entering.

In the forest, the servants a bit farther from the search zone suddenly felt a chill on their backs.

You… heard any strange sounds?

A servant asked softly of the two others teamed with him.

The other two also had an odd premonition, raising their torches to look around.

But they could only see other servants in groups of three or five farther away, noticing nothing amiss.

The servant added, 'Just now a team ran into a tiger; luckily they all had torches, and other teams were nearby… they spotted it in time and scared the tiger off. We… we seem a bit farther from the others, could it be… could it be that tiger is secretly watching us?'

Upon hearing that, the other two began to tremble, gooseflesh rising all over their bodies.

Come on, let's go deeper, don't stray too far from the other teams.

Exactly, we've searched this area eight hundred times, not even a human hair seen, no need to keep going back and forth, anyway the prefect can't see us…

The three of them quickly conferred, then sprang to their feet and ran toward the direction where there were more people.

Because they were too panicked, one of them tripped—his left foot caught his right—and he stumbled, sending the torch flying from his hand.

By the time he lifted his head, all he could see were the faint, receding silhouettes of his two companions.

The torch landed two zhang away, flickering intermittently, and the area fell into total darkness…