Chapter 71: Hidden Sentry

Hong Dage clutched a kitchen knife in her hand; trailing behind the crowd, she stared at Zhao Duyi like a starving wolf, as if she wanted to rush forward and chop him down on the spot, for this Zhao Duyi had ridden her countless times.

Li Xiujuan beside her yanked her away, whispering, "Do not cause trouble for your husband; sooner or later, your husband will lead us to take revenge!"

Hong Dage sniffled, caught up with the group, and murmured softly, "On the day they captured me in Linyang, Tian Si killed my mother outside the city... This Zhao Duyi killed my father; pity that my parents' stomachs were filled with dry hay when they died... Tian Si has already been killed by your husband, but this Zhao Duyi is still alive; I wish I could kill him right now..."

Huang Yanzi tightened her grip on the sickle in her hand, wiped away a tear, and said, "Your husband saved us; if we act rashly now, we will surely ruin your husband's great plan... Sister E, endure it; your husband will definitely lead us to take revenge!"

At the front of the group, Gao Conglong stepped onto the main road, glanced around, swallowed hard, and his face turned dark.

This main road was wide enough for six horses to ride abreast; if they met bandits on horseback face-to-face, and the bandits charged in a single gallop, even with their finest swords and knives, lacking heavy armor, they would surely all be wiped out!

If it were up to him, he would definitely take a detour and climb the mountain via the small path, which was the safest option.

But Li You had already given the order, so he could only lead the way at the front, winding and turning, until they finally reached the slope halfway up the mountain safely.

Li You's mind kept drifting back to the military tactics and camp-building techniques Song Shenxian had taught him; suddenly, Gao Conglong waved his hand, and everyone immediately stopped and crouched down.

"Why do I hear someone snoring?" Yu Zhengchun whispered.

"In the tree! It's a sentry!"

Gao Conglong pointed, and everyone indeed vaguely saw a shadowy figure, motionless on a fir tree trunk as thick as a millstone, clearly dozing off; only then did everyone relax!

They could faintly see the sentry's short sword and bow and arrow hanging on a nearby branch; he seemed to be wrapped in some kind of fur blanket, but whether he wore armor or a uniform was unclear!

This tree stood at the junction of two mountain ridges, offering a commanding view of three directions from above.

"Ha, he's asleep; I'll go take him out!"

Li You spoke, then quickly removed his double-tipped spear and Miao dao, giving no one a chance to compete; his body moved like a nimble cat as he swiftly descended toward the base of the tree; once at the bottom, he drew the curved blade from his leg sheath and held it in his mouth.

Li You climbed the tree with light, careful steps; though his speed was slow, he made not the slightest sound; this sentry's martial arts might not be formidable, but he surely carried a whistle or signal arrow; if awakened, he would sound the alarm immediately.

On this side, Li Qinxiang and others had their hearts in their throats, watching from afar as Li You wriggled like a caterpillar toward the tree fork; Gao Conghu, meanwhile, watched the surroundings with extreme vigilance, checking for any other hidden sentries.

The more critical the moment, the calmer Li You became; it turned out this fellow was draped in a cowhide, with a row of wooden sticks arranged on the tree fork beneath his buttocks, and he was now leaning against the main trunk, sleeping soundly and snoring.

He hooked his feet around the tree, took the curved blade from his mouth with his right hand, and first used it to hook the bow and arrow and the waist sword hanging on the branch.

Then he placed the curved blade against the sentry's neck, pressed his mouth shut with his left hand, and said, "Shut up; make a sound, and you die!"

At that moment, the sentry sleeping in the tree was startled awake in terror; seeing the dark figure before him, he instinctively tried to shout, but Li You held him far too tightly; in the struggle, he felt a chill on his neck, and warm blood began to flow; his soul nearly left his body as he blinked frantically.

Li You did not dare to let go; staring into his bloodshot eyes, he continued, "How many sentries? Nod for one, shake your head for two."

The sentry nodded slightly; Li You's blade was simply too sharp.

Only then did Li You sigh in relief, glaring at him and saying, "I'll let go; if you make a sound... you still die!"

Li You released his grip and waved toward where Gao Conglong was hiding.

Gao Conglong immediately understood, rushed over, and stood guard beneath the tree.

"Get down from the tree!"

Seeing someone guarding the base of the tree with people above and below, the sentry's heart sank into despair; he obediently climbed down, and the moment his feet touched the ground, Gao Conglong pressed the edge of his hand against his neck; Li You, dragging the cowhide blanket, also quickly descended, then took a length of straw rope from Gao Conglong, swiftly tied the sentry's hands behind his back, and both stood behind him.

"What's your name? Which army do you belong to? How long have you been here? How many men are there?" Gao Conglong stared at his red uniform, over which he wore a liangdang; he appeared young, at most two or three years older than Gao Conghu.

The backless vest was anciently called liangdang, but as a soldier's uniform, the liangdang was longer, with characters on the chest and back.

This soldier, stationed on this tree for an entire night, was naturally no elite veteran; speaking in the Shaannan-Shangluo dialect, he said, "I (E) am called Jiang Cai; I am an infantryman under Liu Gui's command, in the 'Poisonous Dragon Leopard' Zongqi unit!"

"How did you end up here?"

"About a month ago, we were crushed by the Western Great King at Zitong; the Zongqi led us fleeing north, crossed the mountains via Qipan Pass, and eventually arrived here... We've been here nearly a month; counting me, there are thirty-nine of us!"

"Who is your leader?"

"Poisonous Dragon Leopard... oh no, General Leopard!"

"Damn it, still not honest!" Gao Conglong struck the sentry's forehead with the hilt of his blade; the sentry, terrified and in pain, cried out, "Grandfathers! He was once a notorious bandit in the Mount Shangluo area, nicknamed 'Poisonous Dragon Leopard'; during a campaign, General Han nearly wiped him out, so he surrendered and was pardoned, joining Liu Gui's ranks as a Zongqi; after the Zitong defeat, I escaped with the Wu Zhang, and later he gathered us under his command, leading us north... Now everyone calls him General Leopard! If I lie even once, may thunder strike me down and my whole family be cursed!"

Gao Conglong looked at Li You with a questioning glance; Li You asked, "Do all thirty-nine of you have bows? Swords? And armor?"

"Yes, yes, we all do; some even have several sets of armor! We also have bird guns and over ten three-eyed guns!"

Gao Conglong and Li You exchanged a glance, both unable to hide their shock; what was there left to fight about!