Chapter One Hundred Fifteen: Battle on Chang Street

Barbarians? Hah, absolutely not!

In the vacant, dawn-lit streets, figures dressed in black were scattered about, loosely encircling the Prefecture Mansion. There had to be at least a hundred of them! And that was merely the visible force meant to intimidate; one could only guess how many more were lurking in the shadows. Even with Tuoba Dewang’s noble status, the number of barbarians who had infiltrated Jiangling City with him could not possibly be this high. Furthermore, thanks to Lu Jiuniang’s deliberate misdirection, the barbarians in the city were already in a state of panic, believing they had fallen into a Han trap and caught in repeated clashes with the Ningwu Army. They would never have been able to muster such a force.

Those barbarians had entered Jiangling City disguised as merchant caravans or common laborers, terrified of revealing their true identities; they would never wear uniform black garments. The current situation clearly indicated that a powerful faction, hiding behind the scenes, had set their sights on the captured Tuoba Dewang. They intended to take advantage of the city’s chaos and the deserted streets to rescue this barbarian commander. As for whether they planned to strike a deal or silence him once he was freed, Zhao Hengyi could not say.

At this moment, the entire defense of the Prefecture Mansion was under Zhao Hengyi’s command. According to Lady Wei Linglan, the mistress of the mansion, since Master Zhao had crushed the barbarian army back at Yonggu City, he was naturally a peerless military talent. Although the Daughter’s Army practiced regularly, in a standoff such as this, Master Zhao’s expertise was far superior. Zhao Hengyi accepted this responsibility without hesitation. He distributed the Daughter’s Army along the base of the courtyard walls and led the household servants in erecting long ladders, keeping a constant watch on the situation outside. The twenty-plus personal guards were designated as the main strike force, ready to charge out of the mansion with thunderous force to crush the enemy should the need arise.

Even though the men in black outside appeared intimidating, Zhao Hengyi did not believe they were all elites. If they truly possessed a hundred seasoned warriors, the mastermind would have ordered them to storm the mansion long ago—wiping out everyone inside would not have been beyond their capabilities. There would have been no need to maintain this encircling formation for the sake of psychological pressure. The person coordinating these men in black was no fool; dawn was breaking, and the chaos in the city was slowly subsiding. It was time for them to make their move.

"Master Zhao, a large group of black-clad men is gathering at the back gate. They have grappling hooks, ropes, and long ladders. They are about to attack!"

"Guard unit, to the back courtyard!"

The men in black were scattered around the perimeter of the mansion. Even if the guards were confident they could kill them, their numbers were insufficient; launching attacks in every direction would only disperse their strength. Moreover, Zhao Hengyi was certain that the men wandering the streets were not high-caliber combatants; their primary role was to guard the streets to prevent onlookers or other factions from coming to the mansion’s aid. Zhao Hengyi was waiting for the moment they launched their attack to crush their core force, then swiftly clear out the stragglers to ensure the safety of the mansion.

A signal arrow streaked into the sky. Receiving the order, the men in black outside the mansion surged forward with shouts of war! To their surprise, as they rushed to the back gate to throw their grappling hooks over the wall, the gate—wide enough for a carriage to pass—swung open!

The twenty-plus guards were divided into three groups: one knelt with hand crossbows, one stood with hand crossbows, and the third fired from atop the courtyard wall. A wall of crossbow bolts slammed into the charging men, knocking the leading seven or eight to the ground as if struck by iron hammers.

"Kill!"

The sound of shouting erupted within the mansion, a roar so massive it felt as if it would overturn the city of Jiangling. Not only were the dozens of elites charging through the rain of arrows shaken, but even the men in black scattered along the streets were seized by fear.

*An ambush?! How many people are inside the Prefecture Mansion?*

Following Zhao Hengyi’s prior instructions, the guards remained as steady as if forged from steel. The enemies charging before them and the deafening roars behind them did not affect their rhythm in the slightest. After firing five successive volleys that downed ninety percent of the attackers, the guards drew their blades and charged out of the gate. The few remaining elites turned and fled; everything had happened too quickly, yet even so, half of them died with arrows in their backs.

The sound of hooves followed as the armored Daughter’s Army thundered out!

"Kill!"

Their crisp voices held boundless sharpness. While their visors concealed their delicate faces, they could not hide the biting murderous intent. Xiao Tao led the charge, spear in hand, followed by her riders like a dragon of steel. The iron hooves striking the stone pavement created a deafening roar. Once these twenty riders charged down the long streets of Jiangling, they were virtually invincible. The terror of cavalry had been demonstrated to the world by the barbarian armies countless times; for those who had never faced a cavalry charge, the landslide-like pressure was enough to shatter their resolve.

The fleeing men were overtaken by the Daughter’s Army, followed by the sound of spear tips piercing flesh. Then, led by Xiao Tao, the riders galloped in a formation that circled the entire Prefecture Mansion.

Anyone dressed in black was to be shown no mercy!

Hooves thundered, and spears struck like dragons! The shouting inside the mansion never ceased for an instant. The men in black on the streets had no idea their comrades were being slaughtered by the cavalry until another signal arrow exploded in the sky, at which point they began to flee in panic. But it was already too late.

Leaving ten guards to secure the mansion, the remaining dozen, led by Wang Dahu, charged onto the street, rapidly closing in on the target area Zhao Hengyi had previously identified. To coordinate the movements of the men in black, the mastermind needed a wide, commanding view of the entire scene. Yet, this was the Prefecture Mansion; it was impossible for anyone to have constructed a high building nearby that could peer over the walls. Thus, the possible hiding spots for the mastermind were extremely limited.

Zhao Hengyi was not foolish enough to rush toward the location where the signal arrow was fired; in his view, that location only served to eliminate several of the potential hiding spots. But that was already quite helpful. He had originally identified eight possible locations; once the signal arrow appeared, those were reduced to five, as in the pre-dawn darkness, firelight was the most effective way to relay commands over distance. The person who fired the arrow could not have been in three of those locations.

Wang Dahu’s face was as cold as frost as he and his brothers raced down the long street. Having just retrieved their crossbow bolts during the chaos, he knew the others likely had done the same; the coming fight would depend on the blades in their hands.

The first hiding spot: pitch black. Skip it.
The second hiding spot: pitch black. Skip it.
The third... there was sound. This was it!

"Kill!"