usatvline Chapter 85 Night Raid on Yuncheng
Chapter 85 Night Raid on Yuncheng
July 17th, the second year of the Tianqi reign, at midnight.
The night was as dark as ink, and the stars and moon were without light.
Eighty dark figures crouched silently among the reeds along the moat outside Yuncheng.
Lu Yan lay prone at the front, his gaze piercing through the gaps in the reeds, fixed on the city wall not far away. Torches on the city wall were scattered sparsely, and the guards' figures occasionally swayed, appearing lazy and relaxed.
"The time has come."
He spoke in a low voice, which was almost swallowed up by the night wind.
Kong Youde leaned closer and asked in a low voice, "Shall we make a move?"
"Let's do it."
Lu Yan turned around and made a gesture to the team members behind him.
Eighty people, like ghosts, silently slipped into the moat.
The river water was still a bit cool in July, but no one made a sound. They were all carefully selected experts, with excellent swimming skills, moving in the water as freely as fish.
Lu Yanyou was in the middle of the group, paddling while silently calculating the distance.
Thirty zhang... twenty zhang... ten zhang...
A dark entrance was faintly visible through the reeds ahead. That was the underground canal beneath the water gate, a secret passage leading into the city.
Kong Youde was the first to swim to the entrance, peered inside, and then turned back and made a gesture.
Safety.
Lu Yan nodded, signaling the group to continue forward.
One by one, eighty people crawled into that dark cave.
……
The culvert was pitch black, and the air was filled with a nauseating stench.
This canal was used to drain sewage from the city. It was perpetually shrouded in darkness and filled with silt and rotting debris. Every step you took made a "plop, plop" sound under your feet.
"Light the torch."
Lu Yan gave the order in a low voice.
Zhao Changying took a torch from the waterproof bag and lit it with a tinderbox. The moment the flame appeared, everyone gasped.
The culvert was narrower than I had imagined, only wide enough for one person to bend over and pass through. The walls on both sides were covered with moss and mold, and rats scurried past my feet every now and then. Above me, sewage dripped down from the cracks, hitting my face, and it smelled fishy and foul.
"Damn it, this place is even more disgusting than the mass graves in Liaodong."
Kong Youde grumbled and cursed, but his steps did not falter in the slightest.
"Speak less, walk faster."
Lu Yan urged.
The group trudged through the culvert, lighting a torch every ten steps and sticking it into a crack in the wall. The flickering flames cast a long ribbon of light in the darkness.
Time passed by, second by second.
Lu Yan silently calculated the distance. According to the intelligence, the underground canal was thirty zhang long, and at the current speed, it would take about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to cross it.
"There's light ahead!"
Kong Youde suddenly called out in a low voice.
Lu Yan strode to the front of the line and looked in the direction Kong Youde was pointing. Sure enough, a faint ray of light shone in from not far ahead.
That's the outlet of the culvert.
"stop."
Lu Yan raised his hand, signaling the team to stop.
He crept forward alone, cautiously approaching the exit. The exit was a hole about half a person's height, outside of which was a stinking ditch, its banks overgrown with weeds.
By the faint starlight, Lu Yan could see what was happening outside the exit.
Across the stinking ditch was a row of low shacks, dark and silent. Further on was a narrow alley, at the end of which the outline of a city gate tower could be vaguely seen.
"Where are the guards?"
He frowned and observed carefully.
There were no guards near the exit, but there seemed to be two figures moving around at the alley entrance. They were too far away to see clearly, but they were probably a patrol from the White Lotus Cult.
"Commander Kong."
He retreated into the culvert and whispered to Kong Youde.
"There are two patrolmen outside the exit, at the alley entrance. You take your men out first, take them out, and be quick; don't let them make a sound."
"clear."
Kong Youde grinned and pulled a short knife from his waist.
He turned around and gestured to the Liaodong veterans behind him, then slipped out of the exit like an eel.
……
Kong Youde acted very quickly.
He led five men, crouching low as they crept along the stinking ditch, and circled behind the two patrolmen.
The two White Lotus followers were dozing against the wall, their spears leaning askew, completely unaware of the approaching danger.
"Let's do it."
Kong Youde let out a low shout and suddenly sprang up.
A flash of cold light from the dagger slit through the air, accurately severing the throat of one of the men. At the same time, the veteran beside him also struck, and another patrolman didn't even have time to scream before collapsing limply to the ground.
"It's all cleaned up."
Kong Youde turned around and made a gesture.
Lu Yan led the remaining men out of the culvert and quickly assembled by the stinking ditch.
"First team, follow me."
Kong Youde said in a low voice, leading thirty men deeper into the alley.
Lu Yan led the second and third teams closely behind, approaching the east gate along the pre-planned route.
……
The east gate of Yuncheng is a gate tower that is more than three zhang (approximately 10 meters) high.
A few oil lamps were lit inside the city gate, their dim light illuminating the figures of several guards. Some were dozing against the wall, while others were squatting on the ground gambling, showing no sign of vigilance whatsoever.
"Just these people?"
Kong Youde lay behind a low wall, looking at the situation inside the city gate, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes.
"That's all the White Lotus Sect is capable of. Back when I was in Liaodong, the Jurchen night sentries were far more vigilant."
"Don't be careless."
Lu Yan whispered a reminder, "There are still people on the city wall, at least twenty. We need to deal with the ones below first, then handle those above."
He turned to look at Zhao Changying.
"Is the gunpowder ready?"
"Ready."
Zhao Changying patted the bundle on his back. "Ten catties of gunpowder, enough to blow open the city gate."
"good."
Lu Yan took a deep breath, his gaze sharpening.
"Commander Kong, you lead your men in and take out the guards in the city gate. Zhao Changying, you lead your men in and plant the gunpowder on the city gate. I'll provide cover and prevent the men on the city wall from coming down to reinforce."
"We need to be quick; the battle must be resolved within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."
"clear!"
The crowd responded in unison.
Lu Yan raised his hand and suddenly swung it downwards.
"Do it!"
……
Kong Youde charged out like a tiger.
He was incredibly fast, reaching the city gate in the blink of an eye. Before the guards could react, his dagger had already slashed across the neck of the first man.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
One of the guards cried out in terror, but before he could finish speaking, another knife pierced his chest.
The veterans from Liaodong swarmed in, brandishing short swords, daggers, fists, and all sorts of weapons in the narrow city gate. The White Lotus Sect guards had no time to organize a resistance before being cut down.
"Someone's coming down from upstairs!"
Zhao Changying shouted.
Lu Yan looked up and, sure enough, the guards on the city wall had noticed the anomaly and were rushing down the stairs.
"Grenade!"
He pulled a grenade from his waist, lit the fuse, and threw it forcefully.
The grenade traced an arc in the air and landed precisely in the middle of the stairs.
"boom!"
A deafening roar followed, and flames shot into the sky.
The guards on the stairs were blown to pieces, their screams echoing through the night.
"One more!"
Lu Yan threw another grenade, completely sealing off the stairwell.
At the same time, Zhao Changying had already led his men to the city gate and began to place the gunpowder.
"Hurry! Hurry!"
Lu Yan urged anxiously.
Although the guards on the city wall were scattered by the grenades, more people quickly surged up. They began firing arrows downwards, and arrows rained down like raindrops.
"cover!"
Lu Yan shouted and led the third team to the city gate, using their shields to block the rain of arrows.
"alright!"
Zhao Changying's voice came from behind the city gate.
"ignition!"
Lu Yan gave the order without hesitation.
Zhao Changying lit the fuse, then quickly retreated to the side with his men.
"Get down!"
Everyone lay on the ground and covered their ears.
Three breaths later—
"Boom!"
A deafening roar shook the entire city gate tower.
The heavy city gate was blasted to pieces, with splinters of wood and iron flying everywhere. Smoke and dust filled the gate opening, obscuring everything.
"The city gates have opened!"
Kong Youde roared excitedly.
Lu Yan got up from the ground, took out a signal flare from his pocket, lit it, and shot it into the sky.
A red light pierced the night sky and bloomed above Yuncheng.
That was a signal to the government troops outside the city—
The city gates have been breached; we can now attack.