sovbooks Chapter 24 Taking Black Wind Stronghold by Strategy
Chapter 24 Taking Black Wind Stronghold by Strategy
The outermost edge of the Dead Tree Cliff.
At this moment, more than a hundred people have gathered here.
Although Li Shun, Wang Ren, Zhao Tiezhu and others were only captains in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, they did not have many subordinates.
But no matter what, he was still wearing the skin of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, so he still had some influence in the martial arts world.
Therefore, all seven of them had considerable connections and subordinates in the martial arts world.
For this mission, Jia Huan ordered them to gather all their men from the martial arts world.
That's why there are over a hundred people gathered here.
"Li Shun and Wang Ren, you two take kerosene and sulfur powder and come with me deep into the Deadwood Cliff. Proceed according to plan."
Zhao Tiezhu, Sun Wukong, Zhou Mazi, Wu Ermazi, and Zheng Tu, once you see the fire or sense the chaos at the Drywood Cliff, immediately lead your men and charge in.
Do you understand?
"clear!"
"Very well! Then I declare the operation to begin!"
……
As its name suggests, the Dead Tree Cliff is a desolate, lifeless precipice.
Unlike Black Wind Ridge, this place lacks towering ancient trees; instead, there are jagged rocks and a few withered old trees, resembling dried-up skeletons, menacingly piercing the sky.
The cliff face was steep and shrouded in mist all year round. If it weren't for Jia Huan's "heavenly eyes" that could see the smallest details, no one would have thought that a bandit's den, easy to defend and difficult to attack, was hidden behind this cliff.
"Sir, this cliff face is as smooth as a mirror; even a monkey couldn't climb it. How are we supposed to get in?"
Li Shun lowered his voice, staring at the towering cliff hundreds of feet high, his brows furrowed.
"Just because you can't get up there from the front doesn't mean there's no way to get up from the side."
Jia Huan's gaze was fixed on a very inconspicuous crack on the left side of the cliff.
In his field of vision, the cracks showed faint traces of human excavation, and a very faint smell of smoke drifted out.
"That's their 'gates of hell,' and their only way out," Jia Huan said coldly.
"Li Shun, Wang Ren, heed my command!"
"Your humble servant is here!"
"You two take the kerosene and sulfur powder and go around to the windy spot directly above the cliff."
When I enter the village and create chaos, you will pour oil on it to ignite the sulfur.
"No need for much, just create the illusion of 'heavenly fire descending' to demoralize their troops."
"And what about you, sir?" Wang Ren asked worriedly.
A bloodthirsty smile curled at the corner of Jia Huan's lips as his fingers gently caressed the embroidered spring knife at his waist.
"Me? I'll naturally go and deliver a 'big gift' to them!"
……
Half an hour later.
The hidden plank road, known as "Gate of Hell," is currently being guarded by a black-robed scout patrolling the mountain.
He leaned against the stone wall, bored out of his mind, with a dry blade of grass between his teeth, still calculating how much silver he had won the night before.
Suddenly, a very light gust of wind brushed past my ear.
The scout instinctively turned around, only to see a black afterimage flash past his eyes.
"who……"
Before he could finish speaking, a long, strong hand gripped his throat like an iron clamp.
Jia Huan had appeared behind him like a ghost at some point, using the Flying Fish Shadow Step to its fullest extent, without making a sound.
"Shhh."
Jia Huan leaned close to his ear, his voice sounding as if it came from the deepest hell.
"If you don't want to die, keep quiet."
The scout was about to struggle when he felt a chill run down his spine and straight to the top of his head.
A cold, sharp embroidered spring knife was pressed against his carotid artery.
"Where is Black Wind Stronghold's lair?" Jia Huan asked coldly.
The scout stared in horror, his eyes wide. He had never seen such terrifying skill, nor such cold eyes. Under the threat of death, his finger trembled as he pointed to a hidden cave at the end of the plank road.
"There...that's the entrance to the granary in the back village..."
"very good."
As Jia Huan delivered the karate chop, the scout groaned and passed out.
Without pausing, he flashed into the cave.
The cave is deep and winding, with torches placed at intervals to illuminate the rough stone walls.
Jia Huan held his breath, concealing his aura, as if he had merged with the darkness.
Thanks to the heightened hearing granted by the sixth level of the "Mysterious Armor Body Forging Technique," he could clearly hear the conversation coming from ahead.
"...Has that batch of government silver been properly hidden?"
"Don't worry, the chief said it's hidden in the cellar under the 'Hall of Gathering Righteousness'. It's full of experts from my Black Wind Stronghold. Even a god couldn't move it."
"Hehe, we've struck it rich this time. I heard the imperial court sent the Embroidered Uniform Guard to investigate, but they were all wiped out at Black Wind Ridge..."
A cold glint flashed in Jia Huan's eyes.
Indeed, the most dangerous place is the safest place.
The Black Wind Stronghold had actually hidden the official silver underground in the very heart of the Gathering Hall!
He quietly made his way to the cave entrance and peered inside through the cracks in the rocks.
He quietly made his way to the cave entrance and peered inside through the cracks in the rocks.
What we saw was a huge natural cave that had been transformed into a warehouse, filled with grain and supplies.
At the end of the cave, several heavy iron doors can be vaguely seen, with four burly men holding heavy axes guarding the entrances.
Force your way in?
Jia Huan shook his head.
The terrain here is narrow; once a fight breaks out, the opponent only needs to block the entrance, and you'll be trapped like a turtle in a jar.
We must create chaos to lure the snake out of its hole.
Jia Huan took out a tinderbox from his pocket and then took out the sulfur powder left by Li Shun.
Instead of throwing it in directly, he evenly sprinkled the sulfur powder in the ventilation area of the hole, then blew on the tinderbox and gently placed it on the sulfur powder.
"call!"
The faint flame instantly ignited the sulfur, and a pungent plume of smoke, carried by the wind, surged wildly into the cave.
"Cough cough cough! What's that smell?"
"Fire! Quick! Put out the fire!"
Chaos erupted inside the cave.
The four burly men guarding the gate were also choked by the thick smoke, their eyes watering, and they instinctively tried to run away.
In that instant, Jia Huan moved.
He didn't wait for the enemy to come out, but rushed straight in!
With his Flying Fish Shadow Steps combined with the sharpness of his Embroidered Spring Blade, Jia Huan was like a tiger descending a mountain in this confined space.
"Pfft! Pfft!"
Before the two burly men could even see who it was, their throats were slit.
The remaining two men screamed in terror, "Enemy attack! Assassins!"
Jia Huan didn't give them a chance to warn him. He leaped into the air and kicked a burly man in the chest, sending him flying and knocking over a nearby grain stack.
Immediately afterwards, the embroidered spring knife in his hand drew a strange arc in the air, directly severing the last person's legs.
"ah!!!"
A heart-wrenching scream echoed throughout the cave.
Jia Huan remained unmoved.
He stepped on the chest of the burly man with the broken leg, the tip of his knife pointing directly at his forehead, and said coldly, "Lead the way to the cellar."
……
Meanwhile, above the cliff face.
Li Shun and Wang Ren looked at the billowing smoke and flames rising from the cave below and smiled at each other.
"The adult's done! Pour the oil!"
Two large barrels of kerosene poured down through the vent, landing right on the sulfur fire at the entrance of the cave.
"boom!"
A massive fire dragon suddenly soared into the sky, as if as divine punishment, illuminating the entire "Gate of Hell" as bright as day.
Inside Black Wind Stronghold, the alarm bells rang incessantly.
"Oh no! The back village is on fire!"
"That's a granary! Quick, go save them!"
Countless bandits, crying and screaming, rushed towards the back village, only to run into Jia Huan emerging from the thick smoke.
At this moment, Jia Huan's flying fish robe was blackened by smoke, and the embroidered spring knife in his hand was spotless. Only his eyes shone with a frightening brightness.
He stood in the firelight, like a demon crawling out of hell.
"When the Embroidered Uniform Guard is in charge, any unauthorized personnel either live or die!"
Jia Huan's voice wasn't loud, but it carried his profound inner strength, booming like thunder in the ears of every bandit.
The bandits, who had been so aggressive, were so struck by this murderous aura that they stopped in their tracks, none daring to take a step forward.
Jia Huan smiled slightly and turned to look at the heavy iron gate.
"I'm coming for the million-dollar government silver!"