knife

Chapter 692 The outcome remains to be seen.

The wind carried snowflakes, which danced wildly in the air.
As far as the eye could see, it was only about ten feet in front of him; any further away, all he could see were clumps of snowflakes dancing in the air.

Two long lines of soldiers braved the wind and snow and sped toward Huju County.

Apart from the rustling sound of their footsteps on the snow, the entire team made no other noise.

To maintain such military discipline under such harsh conditions...
This demonstrates the formidable strength of this army.

This was the once-famous Wolf Fang, a team that gave Li Dachui a major headache.

Linghu Zhishu walked at the very front of the group, enduring the fiercest wind and snow.

The latest battle report from Yangguan was received during the day.
The battle was not going well. The Beiting Protectorate had obviously prepared for the attack. The generals, led by Ma Dacheng, were very skilled at defending the city and firmly blocked the attack of the aristocratic allied forces. After several days of attacking, they made no progress and instead lost thousands of corpses at the foot of the city walls.

The messenger said that Cui Ming had lost patience and was preparing to launch an attack himself.

Linghu Zhishu was not optimistic at all.

Cui Ming is a Xiantian master, and there are many Xiantian masters outside the pass. If Cui Ming doesn't make a move, the other side won't either. Once Cui Ming makes a move, someone will naturally catch him, and it won't make the siege easier.

If Cui Ming's efforts fail to make progress, morale will plummet. Unless absolutely necessary, it's best not to let experts of the Innate level appear lightly, as their appearance can be seen as a clear sign of exhaustion and a last-ditch effort. If they still can't defeat them, failure will be inevitable.

Who told you to still refuse to hand over command to us at this point!
Linghu Zhishu had a cold smile on his lips.

If Li Guohua had personally commanded the siege, the chances of breaking through the city might have been much greater.

Of course, things are fine as they are now.

The defeat of the allied forces of the powerful families made it easier for Li Guohua to gather and reorganize the remaining forces.

If the Yangguan army dares to come out of the pass after a victory to strike back at a defeated enemy and further expand their gains, then Li Guohua will definitely give them an unexpected surprise.

However, given Ma Dacheng's character, it's probably going to be difficult.

As for Red Mountain Fort, there might be some unexpected gains.

Li Zhengtai, that sorcerer, really hid himself well. If Xiao Changche thought that Yang Rong was the only innate master in this team, then he would suffer a great loss.

What if Xiao Changche dies?
The thought flashed through Linghu Zhishu's mind.

Hard!

He shook his head.

There are many innate masters outside the pass. It has been found that Liao Ran has returned to Shu, but there are still Chang Jian, Zhou Zhi and Yi Ming. If any one of them is with Xiao Changche, it will be impossible for them to kill Xiao Changche.

As Linghu Zhishu strode forward, his mind was preoccupied with the current battle situation at Yangguan Pass. He wasn't worried about the battle at all.

The more than 1,000 armored soldiers stationed at Tiger Roar Plain were his biggest worry. In the past, he could only use some miscellaneous troops to try to seize them, which resulted in repeated defeats. But this time was different.

Even if the Cui family fails at Yangguan, what can he do even if he seizes Huxiaoyuan?
A loser can only rely on the Linghu family to protect his family business. What right does he have to rant in front of me?
"General, Tiger's Lair City is just one mile ahead!" a voice came from behind.

Linghu Zhishu stopped and raised his hand.

"Halt! Rest in place, eat, prepare armor, and get ready for battle!" The orders were relayed one after another, and in the blink of an eye, the entire troop came to a halt.

"Wolf Three, take your men forward and clear out all the sentries!"

Following Linghu Zhishu's command, one person leaped out from the crowd, leading a small team of about thirty people and disappearing into the snowstorm ahead.

Linghu Zhi pulled out a piece of dried meat from his pocket and chewed it slowly. After marching for most of the night, everyone needed to replenish their strength.

The snow fell heavier and heavier. They had only paused for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before they were completely covered in snow. Now they looked like little snowballs, hard to spot unless you got close. Wolf Three had returned.

"The sentry post is empty!" Wolf Three said. "There's no one here. They must have run back to the city to avoid the wind and snow!"

"Those who slack off will die!" Linghu Zhishu stood up, shaking off the snow. "Prepare for the attack!"

Further on, they finally saw, amidst the wind and snow, the few dim, flickering lanterns atop the main tower of Tiger's Lair City, swaying left and right in the wind.

As they deployed into battle formation, the officers jogged forward, and with a wave of their hands, long ropes flew out and landed on the battlements. One by one, figures nimbly climbed the city wall like monkeys and disappeared behind it. Then, more rope ladders were thrown down from the wall.

Linghu Zhishu smiled. The smoothness of the situation exceeded his expectations. After the armored men left, the Cui family's defenses at Huxiao Plain were practically nonexistent.

Or perhaps they never imagined that at this time, someone would plot to seize their Tiger Roar Plain.

Reaching the foot of the city wall, he reached out and grabbed the rope. With a slight pull, he was propelled into the air and landed steadily on the city wall.

While he may not be as exceptional as Li Dachui, Linghu Zhishu is now at the peak of the eighth rank in martial arts cultivation. He is confident that he can overcome this hurdle next year and achieve the ninth rank of the Xuan Yuan realm.

There wasn't even anyone on the city walls.

Meanwhile, the Wolf Fang troops had already descended from the city walls and begun to disappear into the inner streets.

Tiger City is small, and its streets are simple, laid out in a grid pattern. Four main roads, two horizontal and two vertical, divide the city into standard areas. This layout was primarily designed for warfare.

Standing atop the city wall, watching the soldiers of the Wolf Fang Brigade follow the map and pounce on their respective key targets, Linghu Zhishu's brow furrowed slightly.

Why is there still no response?
Even if Cui Xin is incompetent, he wouldn't be this incompetent.

In an instant, Linghu Zhishu felt a chill run down his spine, and a tremendous sense of crisis welled up in his heart.

"Stop!" he shouted sternly.

On the city wall, the remaining small part of the team turned around in astonishment to look at their commander.

Linghu Zhishu looked at the still dark and gloomy Huju County, and a layer of cold sweat broke out on his back.

As if echoing Linghu Zhishu's sense of crisis, a familiar voice suddenly rang out from the top of the city tower.

"Nephew Linghu, now that you're here, why don't you go in and let your uncle give you a proper welcome?"

There was originally no one on the city wall.
But Cui Shu just appeared there, as if he had always been there.

His tone seemed mild, but anyone could hear the boundless anger contained within it.

My Cui family fought to the death against Li Dachui at Yangguan, and your Linghu family actually betrayed us at this time. You are truly not human!
"Retreat!" Linghu Zhishu roared.

Cui Shu leaped up and laughed, "Retreat? Where else can we retreat to? All of you, stay here!"

One fire after another blazed up in the city, and countless shouts echoed through the city. Linghu Zhishu saw fully armed soldiers pouring out of the city from all directions.

In the blink of an eye, the once quiet Tiger City was now filled with the sounds of battle.

"Leave no one alive!" Cui Shu's voice echoed throughout the entire Tiger's Lair City, while he himself rushed towards Linghu Zhishu: "Nephew Linghu, I may have to keep you here to ask Commander Linghu what the reasoning behind this is?"

"Protect the general!" Behind Linghu Zhishu, more than a hundred guards faced Cui Shu. Although there was fear in their eyes, they still stepped forward without hesitation and surrounded Linghu Zhishu.

At the critical moment of life and death, Linghu Zhishu remained calm. He reached out and took the long sword from a guard, and said with a smile, "Uncle, although you are a Xiantian cultivator, you are still recovering from your serious injuries. I wonder how much of your skills you can still display? The least skilled of the hundred guards around me are at the seventh level of Xuan Yuan. Moreover, I have been practicing some formations with them in my spare time, actually intending to use them to fight against Li Dachui one day. Today, I would like to ask Uncle for some guidance. The armored men are not on the original site, and your men are far inferior. It is still uncertain who will emerge victorious!"

(End of this chapter)