Although he had already sent his men up the mountain, Miao Kui was still full of doubts and could not help but ask, "Appease them … They rebelled the last time we tried to appease them. Will they still listen to the imperial court this time?"
At the foot of Mount Donghua, in the tent of the imperial court's army, several leading generals sat in order. Miao Kui, Xu Tai, and the others were all dressed in armor. Miao Kui's face was fair and beardless, with a sword strapped to his ribs. He asked with a gloomy expression.
It was no wonder that he was in a bad mood. Mount Donghua was surrounded by many dangerous passes. Madman Zhao sat on Wulao Peak and relied on the terrain to defend. The imperial court's army suffered heavy casualties and was severely reprimanded by Emperor Zhengde.
The imperial edict reprimanded them for allowing the rebels to occupy the country and recruit soldiers and horses before they could even subdue the bandits for more than a month. There is no strategy, and most of the generals are slacking off. There are also those who wish to perform meritorious deeds and watch from the sidelines. I am greatly disappointed. Since this is a time of war, I will not look into it. All the troops will listen to Yang Ling's orders and atone for their crimes. "
These words erased his previous achievements in Datong, so he was naturally indignant.
Yang Ling smiled and tried to comfort him, "Eunuch Miao, victory and defeat are common in military affairs. Moreover, these bandits are very powerful and have the terrain advantage. I gathered all the forces in Shandong and still could not wipe out the White Bandits. Fifty thousand of them escaped into the Central Plains. It is already a great achievement for the two of you to force Zhao Sui to Mount Zhongtiao and prevent him from expanding his forces.
Most importantly, if they want to defend Mt. Zhongtiao to the death, they must solve the food problem. You have seized all the major transportation routes and the surrounding important prefectures and counties. You have fortified the walls and cleared the fields, leaving them with no food to plunder. With the existing provisions, it will be difficult for them to survive the winter. This will create the best conditions for the next step of forcing them out of the mountains.
In the emperor's heart, he is well aware of your achievements and understands your difficulties very well. However, the imperial censors have always been eager for quick success. Once they see that there is no progress in suppressing the bandits, they immediately accuse you. They do not understand the difficulty of military deployment and the difficulty of considering the whole situation. His Majesty issued an imperial edict to reprimand them, merely to shut their mouths, and at the same time to establish his prestige, to subdue the local army in Shanxi. "
The other generals had already been dismissed, leaving only Miao Kui, Xu Tai, and Jiang Bin in the tent. That was why Yang Ling spoke frankly and comforted them. Hearing this, Miao Kui's expression gradually softened. Yang Ling continued, "This time, I came with the hope of peace, planning to fight. His Majesty has bestowed upon me an Shang Fang treasured sword that can be beheaded in front of the army. Don't you think that this is just a way to recruit him? "
He stood up and slowly paced back and forth inside the tent. "Five Elders Peak is separated by the Yellow River," he said, "It is also called Mount Dong Hua. Mount Xi Hua is a road leading to Mount Hua since ancient times. This Mount Dong Hua is also easy to defend and difficult to attack. There were only two ways for the imperial court to take Mount Donghua. The first was to attack the mountain at all costs. The other way is to concentrate our forces and surround them from all sides. We'll set up forts to defend and use danger to counter danger. "
"The first method would cause too many casualties. The second method would take a long time. The imperial court cannot afford to waste so much money and rations. Therefore, if we can successfully recruit them, that would be the best. If we can't, then we'll have to resort to force. Mount Donghua has a circumference of three hundred li. It's not like the dense forests in the south. Attacking with fire won't be of much use. The mountain road is rugged, and we won't be able to use our cannons. If we really want to use force to attack, the price is self-evident, and the outcome will be hard to predict. "
"What Duke said is right," Jiang Bin said loudly, "I, Jiang Bin, really put my all into fighting, but attacking Mount Donghua, I have no place to use my strength. Strong bows and sharp crossbows are already shooting at me from afar. Sometimes, the two sides fight fiercely for half a day, but they're still shooting at each other from far away. Wanting to attack is as difficult as ascending to heaven.
If we really attack without any regard for casualties, the thieves will retreat to the next line of defense and we'll be shooting at each other for half a day. In the end, when night falls, they'll take advantage of the darkness to attack again. With such a seesaw, the Five Elders Peak is unshakable. "
Xu Tai couldn't help but smile and said, "Jiang You Ji's words are crude, but they are not. The Five Elders Peak of Mount Donghua, Jade Pillar Peak is in the middle, East Jinping Peak, West Jinping Peak, Taiyi Peak, and Chessboard Peak form the four corners of the main peak. This place is filled with mountain ranges, steep cliffs, perilous peaks, and strange rocks. It's a dangerous place that's easy to defend but hard to attack."
Yang Ling nodded and said, "Therefore, I came here with the greatest sincerity to recruit Zhao Sui. If I succeed, my merit will be immeasurable. If I don't succeed, I'll use the strategy of suppressing and appeasing them at the same time. Appeasing them first and then annihilating them later will surely shake their internal forces. By recruiting Zhao Sui, we can divide them and take them down one by one. "
Jiang Bin was puzzled, "The harder I fight, the more they will stick together. How is it that recruiting them will divide them instead? Please enlighten me, High Duke. "
Yang Ling walked back to his desk and sat down. He said, "The forces on Mount Five Elders are divided into three factions. The largest faction is Zhao Sui, the second is … Hong Niang, and the third is Li Hua, who used to be the king of Mount Zhongtiao. The largest faction is further divided into two. One is Zhao Sui and his brothers, and the other is Tiger Xing, Yang Twenty-Seven, and Feng Lei.
When the imperial court recruits them, there will be those who are willing to surrender, those who are willing to fight, and those who are willing to leave. There will be estrangement between these factions. Although Zhao Sui is the actual commander of this troop, he still has his big brother Tiger Xing above him in name. Therefore, it's not right for him to act arbitrarily.
Moreover, in such a short period of time, it's impossible for him to organize all the troops to listen to his orders. Even without Tiger Xing, it's hard for him to make a decision. The reason I recruit them is because I hope that under the siege of the army, I can force them to come to a consensus. Now, I'm conscripting the army from Taiyuan and other places to reinforce Mount Wei, creating a strong offensive.
But what if I still fail to recruit them under such circumstances? In that case, it's not completely useless. The recruitment will definitely cause discord among them, and Mount Five Elders will no longer be a solid piece of iron. Then, we can take advantage of it. "
Jiang Bin rubbed his chin and said doubtfully, "High Duke, our army is pressing on the border and attacking the mountain frequently. The bandits on the mountain are resisting with all their might, like a solid piece of iron. Is it possible that a letter and a battle of words can overcome the power of the army?"
Miao Kui already understood. He slowly nodded and said, "Yes, High Duke is right. Whether they are a solid piece of iron or a ball of loose sand, it's just an amalgamation of interests. Being united against a common enemy is because once Poshan and the others suffer the same damage, the recruitment can break them up. It's because they will benefit differently whether or not they accept the recruitment. "
Xu Tai said cheerfully, "Since ancient times, it's easy to share hardships, but difficult to share riches and honor. From the looks of it, after High Duke's recruitment letter is sent up the mountain, there should be a dispute on Mount Five Elders! "
* * *
On Mount Five Elders, the meeting had just ended on a bad note.
Tiger Xing had also attended the important meeting in spite of his illness. Mount Zhongtiao's Raging Horse Gang had indeed fallen into an internal conflict because of Yang Ling's recruitment letter.
The two brothers, Zhao Pan and Zhao Gao, were originally young masters of wealthy families. Although they had practiced martial arts since childhood, they had never suffered hardship. After living on Mount Zhongtiao for so long, they realized that the process of conquering the country and ruling the world was not as simple and pleasant as described in the books. When they were in glory, they held great power and had the power to kill. When they were down and out, they were also in danger of dying and had no food or clothing.
The two young masters, who had been poisoned by the stories of ordinary people, joking and knight-errant, regretted it. When they heard that the imperial court was recruiting, they were overjoyed and immediately agreed to accept the recruitment. Their words carried a lot of weight. The Raging Horse Gang recruited soldiers and bought horses during their journey. The newly recruited soldiers were all led by these two men. Together, they had tens of thousands of soldiers under them.
Feng Lei and Liu Twenty-Seven were selecting elite troops, preparing to take a shortcut to escape from Mount Zhongtiao and cross the Yellow River. But before they could leave, the imperial court issued the invitation for enlistment. Thereupon, the two of them rushed back to attend the meeting. As soon as they heard the Zhao brothers' opinion, the two of them immediately stood up to oppose, especially since Liu 27 Qi was Zhang Mao's trusted aide. Zhang Mao was killed by Jiang Bin, so Liu 27 Qi hated Jiang Bin to the bone. He would rather die than surrender to Jiang Bin's soldiers.
Tiger Xing was originally a subordinate of Liu Liu and Liu Seven. He had no ambition and never thought of monopolizing power. Otherwise, he would not have handed over all the military power to Zhao Sui. Moreover, he valued loyalty in Jianghu, so his opinion was to lead the troops to break out of the encirclement and join forces with Yang Hu and Liu Liu. Although Tiger Xing was only a commander-in-chief in name, his opinion was not to be underestimated. Zhao Sui's weak idea of accepting the recruitment faded a little.
At this time, Li Hua, the local tiger of Mount Zhongtiao, had the idea of occupying the mountain and becoming the king. He was unwilling to surrender to the imperial court, and he was also unwilling to move to Jiangnan. Li Hua tried his best to persuade Zhao Sui to stay in Mount Zhongtiao and not worry about the imperial court's encirclement. According to his understanding, he had been in Mount Zhongtiao for so many years, and the soldiers could do nothing to him. Now that he had a strong army, he did not have to worry about being encircled by the imperial court. If he surrendered to the imperial court, he would not be able to escape even if he wanted to. If he went to Jiangnan, he would not have any foundation and it would be too risky.
Red Lady did not have any opinion. She first joined the White Army in the rebellion to control her Cui family's old stronghold, so that they would not be annexed or used by Yang Hu. She had no interest in conquering the country, but to kill Zhou De 'an, the enemy who killed her father, she would do so with the Revolutionary Army. If she could not assassinate, she was also good at it. However, Deputy Marshal Cui did not say anything, but her uncles and elders were all talking at once, with all kinds of opinions.
Zhao Sui's head was dizzy from all the arguments. He was a straightforward person who was not good at coordinating such complicated relationships. Although he was ambitious, he did not have absolute authority and authority. When it came to matters that concerned his personal interests, there was no way he could balance all the forces.
Zhao Sui had no choice but to discuss with Xing Laohu and Cui Ying 'er. They decided to discuss the rebellion with the imperial court first and take the opportunity to find out the deployment and strength of the imperial court's army after Yang Ling's arrival. Then, they would decide whether to fight, surrender, or leave. Such an ambiguous answer finally appeased his subordinates for the time being.
Li Hua returned to the Chessboard Peak with a gloomy face. Deputy Fort Master Zhou Pan saw that he did not look good and quickly went up to him. He said, "Big Brother, Marshal Zhao asked you to go. Is there something important to discuss?"
Li Hua sat down lazily and said, "What else could it be? Heh! The imperial court wants to recruit us! "
"Recruit?" Zhou Pan was shocked. "The imperial court wants to recruit us? Then … what does Marshal Zhao mean? "
Li Hua said, "He did not say it directly, but from what I can see, Marshal Zhao is a little tempted. Fortunately, Marshal Xing, Feng Lei, Liu Twenty-Seven and the others all objected, so Marshal Zhao vaguely decided to negotiate with the imperial court and act according to the circumstances. "
Zhou Pan was relieved. If they accepted the recruitment, they would be in the most awkward situation. Because they had a huge grudge with the Shanxi noble Pu family and Pu Zhou's martial arts family, the Ji family.
The Pu family had a daughter who married into the Pu Zhou's Ji family. When Zhou Pan and the others went down the mountain to plunder, they kidnapped the young mistress of the Ji family who happened to be at the Puji Temple. They extorted money but did not let her go. They tortured the young woman to death.
There were some rich and powerful families all over the world. They had huge businesses and their influence was complicated. The Shanxi Pu family was one such family. If they really accepted the imperial court's recruitment, how could they fight against the Pu family's power even if they became officials? What's more, the Ji family was a martial arts family. At present, the Ji family had people who were military officers in other provinces. In the mountains, they were the big shots. If they left the mountains, they would be dealt with sooner or later.
Zhou Pan had just breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Li Hua say, "But Marshal Xing wants us to leave Mount Zhongtiao and lead the army to the Central Plains. Liu Liu, Liu Qi and Yang Hu are surrounded and intercepted by the soldiers everywhere. They are like stray dogs in the Central Plains. If we lose this dangerous place called Mount Zhongtiao and run to the Central Plains, I'm afraid not only will we not be able to save him, but we will also be trapped. This is too stupid. Grand Marshal Xing and Liu Liu are brothers, why should we risk our lives for him? "
Li Hua said remorsefully, "I regret what I did in the past. How free and unfettered we are as kings of the mountains. It's all my fault for being blinded by greed. I really thought that they would be able to achieve great things and immediately responded with troops. In the end, I brought trouble upon myself. Now that they want to accept enlistment or abandon the mountains, what do we do? Follow them and become roving bandits? "
Zhou Pan said, "Big Brother, if he wants to go to Jiangnan, we can just split up and continue to stay on Mount Zhongtiao. The soldiers are after Tiger Xing and Madman Zhao. If they want to leave, let them. We'll be safe once the soldiers are lured away. "
"Hey! What if they accept the recruitment? Their power is greater than ours. The other four peaks are under their command. As long as we accept the recruitment, they will immediately become soldiers. Where can we escape to? "
"This … Big Brother, where are they going to negotiate?"
"The letter from the government says that if Marshal Zhao agrees to the negotiation, we can choose the time. The location will be on the Immortal's Bridge at Liuyun Crossing. The Immortal's Bridge is a long bridge between deep gorges. The two sides face each other across the gorge. We won't have to worry about an ambush."
Zhou Pan rolled his eyes and whispered in his ear, "Big Brother, I have a way to stop Marshal Zhao from accepting the court's recruitment. It depends on whether you have the guts or not."
"What is it?"
"Lao San is a famous godly archer. People call him the Golden Eye Eagle. In the dense forest, he never misses when he shoots foxes and rabbits. Moreover, his arm strength is outstanding. He can use a five-stone bow and can shoot a poplar a hundred steps away. On the day of the negotiation, we might as well let him assassinate Yang Ling in the dense forest. Now, the recruitment will definitely be dropped! "
"What?" Li Hua was shocked.
Zhou Pan hurriedly comforted him, "Big Brother, don't worry. Who can guess that we did it? In terms of hatred, Marshal Xing, Feng Lei, and Liu Twenty-Seven have a much deeper hatred with the court than we do. Besides, even if they guessed that we did it without evidence, who can do anything to us? "
Li Hua thought for a while and gritted his teeth. "Fine, let's do that. But we must not accidentally hurt Marshal Zhao. Where is Lao San?"
"Lao San is guarding the front of the mountain. Should I call him back?"
"Go. Be careful. Don't let anything slip!"
"I understand." Zhou Pan said and hurriedly walked out of the room. He looked around and then hurriedly walked to the front of the mountain.
※ ※ ※
Two of Li Fuda's guards had already arrived at Puzhou. According to Yang Ling's deployment, they began to move to the garrison at the foot of Dong Hua Mountain.
At this time, under the orders of General Yang Ling, the guards and part of the border army that were originally stationed in various places to prevent Madman Zhao from escaping were gradually advancing toward Dong Hua Mountain. They guarded all the land and water transportation routes. They advanced steadily and set up defenses at every step. The encirclement became smaller and smaller.
These matters had been arranged long before Yang Ling left the capital, so they were carried out in an orderly manner. The soldiers of Taiyuan Guards did not participate in this kind of attack with one fortress at a time. Yang Ling had mobilized two of his guards to come. It was obvious that it was to strengthen the attack on the mountain.
Li Fuda rode a large horse. His eyes wandered. He was nervously speculating about Yang Ling's overall plan. He did not notice the beautiful scenery on the side of the road.
His capable assistant, Jiang Nanyan, had been left in Taiyuan to form a militia. The Maitreya Sect had people and money. The only thing they lacked was that they could not move openly. They could gather their loyal disciples and train them into an army that was completely loyal to them.
With the help of Marquis Wuding Guo Xun's power, he had successfully taken control of Taiyuan Guards. Other than the commanders of the Left and Middle Guards, he had used his authority and the opportunities during Liu Jin's chaos to either bribe or provoke others to dismiss them. He had replaced most of the middle and lower level generals with his own people. He was confident that once something happened, he could quickly kill off the two commanders and take control of the three guards.
But just this armed force was still very weak. Moreover, the loyalty of the soldiers was still a problem. Taking advantage of the court's great efforts to form regiments to train troops, he could openly cultivate his own private armed force. That would be much more likely.
He had a lot of loyal followers in Shanxi, some of whom were rich and powerful people. The Jin merchants were the wealthiest in the world. Relying on these loyal followers of the rich gentry to donate money to buy horses, weapons, armors, provisions, we can gather the loyal followers of our Cult to form a completely loyal army, trained by our Cult's Archmages, Mages, elders, and Xiangzhu, we can look forward to our great undertaking.
But there were two things he did not expect. First, Yang Ling did not rush to Taiyuan to command the central command from the capital. Instead, he changed direction halfway and went straight to Puzhou. Secondly, Yang Ling would mobilize his troops to assist in the battle.
Ever since Zhao Sui fled to Shanxi, the local authorities in Shanxi had received orders from Yang Ling. In order to avoid chaos, all prefectures were to guard their own areas, block the roads, and not follow the bandits. They were only responsible for surrounding the area. The pursuers from the capital would be responsible for annihilating them. This way, even if Li Fuda wanted to fish in troubled waters and let Zhao Sui take the opportunity to wreak havoc in Shanxi, he would not be able to do so.
Now that Yang Ling had mobilized him, Jiang Nanyan's suggestion came alive in his mind. In his heart, his country was the most important. For the sake of his country, he could give up his family and endure his hatred for Yang Ling. But now that Yang Ling was not in his defensive zone, the thought of finding a chance to get rid of this thorn in his side became more fervent.
Also, Yang Ling planned to negotiate for peace. He could not sit back and watch Zhao Sui join Yang Ling's side. This would allow Yang Ling to focus on dealing with Yang Hu, who had just arrived in Jiangxi. The peace negotiation must be foiled. These two matters could be solved at the same time.
Thinking of this, Li Fuda's eyes flashed with a fierce glint. He raised his head and called out, "Little Chu!"
A young and handsome bodyguard pulled on the reins of his horse and quickly caught up to him.
This man was an adopted son he picked from the younger generation of the Maitreya Sect. He was quite skilled in martial arts. Li Fuda instructed in a low voice. Little Chu's face lit up with excitement. He cupped his hands and said, "Don't worry, adopted father. I will definitely carry out your orders."
Li Fuda glanced around casually and said with a faint smile, "Hmm … go and prepare now. Remember, do not hurt Madman Zhao. He is still useful. "
"Yes, sir!" Little Chu turned his horse and galloped to the back of the long marching troops.
Li Fuda led the horse forward and shouted, "Middle Army, pass down the order. The whole army will speed up and rush to the camp. Immediately dig trenches and erect antlers. Arrange all the defense before setting up camp and cooking. Whoever dares to delay the High Duke's military plan will be punished according to military law!"
The middle-ranking officer immediately passed on the order, and the whole army suddenly sped up. Li Fuda looked at the hurriedly marching troops, a faint smile on his face. "Last year, we lost many soldiers and generals, and everything went wrong. But after the New Year, things have changed. First, it was the White Shirt Army, then it was the Rustling Horse Bandits, followed by Zheng De rushing here to deliver their soldiers, and Yang Ling rushing here to deliver his life. Could it be that luck has changed this year?
* * *
Once they entered Shanxi, there were mountains everywhere. Yang Ling had seen many along the way, but this was the first time he had set foot on the mountain. Mount Donghua stretched for more than three hundred miles. As a strategic location on the main mountain range of Mount Zhongtiao, there were strange and dangerous peaks and flowing clouds and waterfalls. It could be said to be beautiful.
But the beauty of the mountain was in the strange. If it was for sightseeing, the more strange and dangerous the mountain, the better. But if it was to attack with troops, it would be a headache. Yang Ling looked at the endless mountains and steep ridges. The pine trees in the dense forest were like the ridges of a giant beast. The sparse trees were filled with strange rocks. It was easy to defend and hard to attack. He could not help but be secretly shocked.
The sun rose in the east. The rolling Wulao Peak seemed to be sleeping. Thousands of ravines stretched its beauty between heaven and earth. The Drifting Cloud Crossing was a narrow valley between two mountain peaks. The valley hid a dark blue shadow. Smoke rippled, adding to the mysterious and serene atmosphere. Looking carefully, it could be seen that it was the color of the dense fog, refracted by the sun, and in addition to the darkness of the valley.
The Immortal Bridge was an iron chain bridge on the Drifting Cloud Crossing. The two ends were nailed deep into solid rock. The iron chains were fixed with wooden planks, and on both sides were guardrails as tall as a person. The guardrails on the left and right were made of three iron chains, supplemented by bamboo and wood. The mesh was very large. Looking at both sides, the bridge swayed slightly, as if it was hanging in the middle without any shelter. Those who were timid would not dare to cross even if they held onto the guardrails.
On both sides of the bridge stood strange rocks, and every time the clouds and mist covered the bridge, one would be walking in the clouds like an immortal. That was why this bridge was called the Immortal Bridge. Under the bridge, the precipice reached the sky, and strange rocks stood. One could vaguely hear the sound of water, but one could not see where it came from. Only the dark green and slippery moss on the edge of the cliff gave off a faint chill.
The bridge was long and narrow, and it was impossible to use soldiers to charge through it. There was also no way to set up a large number of ambushes around it, so it could be said to be the safest place for negotiation. Wu Hanchao had gone to great lengths to ensure Yang Ling's safety. The other side's generals were all highly skilled in martial arts. Although he was always proud of the High Duke's martial arts, in Wu Hanchao's eyes, he was still a three-legged cat, and even had two lame legs.
Although he was equipped with firearms, if it was a sudden attack at close range, it would not be as fast as a sword. Therefore, Wu Hanchao rushed up the mountain in advance, and made some tricks on the Immortal Bridge. In the middle of the bridge, he formed a horizontal net with the tendons of the iron chains, and cut the bridge into two, separating the negotiators from both sides.
On this swaying bridge, if one wanted to climb over from the top, and there were masters guarding here, it was pure suicide. The forest on the other side was dense, and if there were assassins hiding and shooting arrows, they had to be taken into consideration. Therefore, Wu Hanchao gave Yang Ling armor and a python robe on the outside, and he and Jiang Bin equipped themselves with swords and shields, and concealed crossbows. In terms of protection, it could be said that they had done their best.
There were many guards on the other side, and a group of people began to walk towards the Immortal Bridge. Yang Ling looked into the distance, and there was no sign of Red Lady in the crowd. He could not help but secretly let out a sigh of relief.
Yang Ling nodded slightly to Wu Hanchao, and Wu Hanchao, Xu Tai, Jiang Bin, and Song Ai, the four of them began to walk towards the bridge. In the center of the bridge, separated by the iron mesh, there were two armchairs, quietly placed there, swaying with the slight undulation of the bridge. In the distance, Zhao Sui, accompanied by Feng Lei, Liu Twenty-Seven, Li Hua, and Zhao Gao, slowly walked to the bridge.
When the news of Zhao Sui's rebellion reached the capital, Yang Ling found out that Zhao Sui was Scholar Zhao, whom he had met in Shengfang Town. During the Lantern Festival, the two of them called each other brothers and enjoyed the lanterns together. Today, when they met again, they were already enemies with their own armies. Yang Ling was deeply moved, and his pace slowed.
In the depths of the forest, the Golden-Eyed Condor wiped his sweat, hung the machete he used to cut down thorns and thorns back to his waist, and then crouched on a protruding rock, looking at the bridge.
The high mountains and dense forests made it hard to be discovered, but it was also disadvantageous to the Golden-Eyed Condor. Just by standing there, one would not be able to clearly see the situation on the Immortal Bridge, and it would be easy to shoot arrows. The Golden-Eyed Condor was originally a hunter in the mountains, and with his unique vision, he could naturally see where he was. He could clearly see everything on the bridge, and he could also easily conceal himself.
The place he chose was a craggy rock on the mountain, with trees and weeds of all shapes and sizes. From the top, he could see everything, but from the bottom, he could only see the rocks. Because of the problem of vision, not to mention lying on the top, even if he were to sit on the top, it would be difficult to discover him from below. The Golden-Eyed Condor was a hunter in the mountains, and he was the best at camouflage. He wore a set of colorful clothes, which made him even more invisible.
He used the Five Stone Bow. The Five Stone Bow could pierce through rocks and walls, and it could pierce through shields as easily as crushing dry weeds. There were only a few people in the world who could use this kind of powerful bow, and even Zhao Sui and the others did not know that he had this kind of skill. But it just so happened that this unremarkable Third Leader of the small village had this kind of astonishing skill.
However, even though he was born with extraordinary strength, the Five Stone Bow could only shoot six arrows at most. Any more and he would run out of energy. The Golden-Eyed Condor did not care about this. With his amazing archery skills, he could probably shoot through Yang Ling from top to bottom, nailing him to the bridge. The iron shields in the hands of the soldiers were like tofu to the Five Stone Bow, and they could not stop him at all.
The Golden-Eyed Condor took out his Iron Finger and put it on. He took out a Wolf Fang Arrow from his quiver and slowly placed it on the bowstring. In the middle of the Immortal Bridge, two people were sitting on the other side of the net. They seemed to be talking about something. There were four people behind each of them, standing about five to six steps away from the chair.
The chair gave him the best indication of his target, and the person sitting there was naturally his target. Frosty Edge slowly pointed his arrow at the bridge, moving towards the chair and the person on the other side of the net.
"Yang Ling, you will ascend to immortality on this Immortal Bridge!" The Golden-Eyed Condor's lips curled into a cold smile.
On the opposite side of the mountain, Little Chu had also entered his attack position.
He was wearing a green robe, with a saber strapped to his back and a black mask covering his face. He looked like a night traveler. This was a large tree. The tree split into two branches in midair. The branch that leaned against the mountain was still as dense as a canopy, but the branch that stretched towards the cliff was much sparser. It was unknown how old this tree was, but the branch that stretched out in midair was astonishingly thick.
Little Chu sat steadily on the branch that was as wide as a chair, and took the bow from his shoulder. Negotiations could not be concluded with just a few words, so he was not in a hurry. Little Chu had always been patient when it came to killing people.
He used a Three-Stone Bow. A Three-Stone Bow was the standard equipment in the army. In fact, except for a few elite archers, most people could not use a Three-Stone Bow. Most people in the Northern Army could only use a Two-Stone Bow, and the soldiers of the Southern Guards, such as the bow that Yang Ling had used when he saw the Wokou pirates perform the 'Crossbow Impenetrable' under the Qiantang Tide, could only be seen as a joke.
Little Chu was an expert in martial arts, but his strength was not his forte. He had only begun to dabble in bows and arrows when he was with his foster father in Shaanxi. He knew that his foster father wanted to conquer the world in the future, and that conquering the world would depend on horsemanship. Bows and arrows were necessary weapons, so the close-combat skills that he was proficient in might not be of much use. From then on, he began to train hard in horsemanship, long weapons, and archery. Now, he could be considered a somewhat famous godly archer in the Taiyuan Guards.
Sitting steadily on the top of the tree, shooting at a motionless target, he was confident that he could hit Yang Ling's back with one arrow. But he had to wait. It was impossible for Yang Ling to sit there without moving. He had to wait for Yang Ling to stand up and walk, and then when Yang Ling was walking, he would suddenly shoot. The arrow was shot like lightning, and when he fell down, no one would be able to tell where the arrow came from.
Yang Ling suddenly stood up. Little Chu's eyes brightened. He quickly wiped the arrow, drew the bowstring, and got into the standard kneeling position.
Drawing the bow to a full moon, murderous intent filled the sky. This arrow was about to be shot.
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