The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 169 You reap what you sow; close the door and beat the dog.
Zhou Yan witnessed the battle from a distance for nearly half an hour.

The battle lines on the walls of Zhongdu resembled the violently surging tides of a river.

The Mongol soldiers' offensive was simple: they put their fierce fighting spirit and individual skills into action, directly using ladders and grappling hooks to push countless soldiers up the city walls.

The Jin army's counterattack was fierce, with oil poured down like water and rolling logs and rocks raining down like rain.

Archers on both sides fought desperately to suppress the enemy, and every moment, soldiers could be seen falling, screaming in agony from being struck by arrows. Soldiers doused in oil and then shot with fire arrows were engulfed in flames, their hysterical cries sending chills down one's spine.

In the Condor Trilogy, the Battle of Xiangyang is described in many parts, but such a tragic scene is rarely described in writing. Looking at the scene before him, Zhou Yan couldn't help but think of the saying, "One general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand."

In the Legend of the Condor Heroes, the Mongol siege of Zhongdu was only mentioned briefly. However, due to the changes in the storyline, Zhou Yan is now witnessing the blood and fire firsthand.

What worried Zhou Yan most was that he saw martial arts figures assisting the Jin soldiers in defending the city from the city tower. He was unsure whether these martial arts people were disciples of gangs who participated voluntarily or were coerced into participating from martial arts schools or security escort agencies within the city.

Zhou Yan could understand why Guo Jing participated in the Battle of Zhongdu. With Yang Kang's assassination of the emperor, Wanyan Honglie's ascension to the throne, and the relocation of the Jin capital, Guo Jing's storyline underwent a dramatic change.

Having failed to kill Wanyan Honglie, he naturally waited for the Mongol army outside Zhongdu.

Zhou Yan vaguely remembered that in addition to being the Golden Knife Prince Consort, Guo Jing was also appointed as a commander of a thousand men by Genghis Khan. If Tolui, Hua Zheng, and others were also present during the Battle of Zhongdu, it would be reasonable for Guo Jing to attack the city.

With this thought in mind, he couldn't help but think that since Yang Kang was now the Crown Prince of the Jin Kingdom, it was unlikely that Guo Jing would also be granted a fiefdom in the future.

In the world of Condor Heroes, Guo Jing and Yang Kang clash.

In today's world, the martial arts world and the battlefield are locked in a fierce struggle.

Zhou Yan, struggling to get close enough to enter the city, suddenly saw Guo Jing holding a long sword, nimbly climbing a ladder, and then using a hook and rope to swiftly approach the city wall like a monkey climbing a rock.

As the saying goes, an outsider's perspective is clearer. Zhou Yan was able to see the whole situation. Suddenly, two burly Jurchen archers appeared on the city wall, drew their iron bows, and aimed at Guo Jing.

Just as Zhou Yan was about to gather his inner strength and speak to remind them, a girl wearing leather boots and dressed in Mongolian attire, holding a longbow, and a boy beside her simultaneously drew their bows.

Two arrows flew like shooting stars, striking the Jin archer.

Zhou Yan let out a soft breath. He could see clearly that the girl drawing her bow and nocking the arrow must be Hua Zheng.

The setting sun was like blood, and the smoke of war raged.

Zhou Yan saw Guo Jing, who had escaped danger, use a grappling hook to scale the city wall. Jin soldiers rushed towards them, but Guo Jing's longsword cut their spears in two.

Then, a flash of light erupted from the Jin soldier's chest, and blood splattered everywhere.

Guo Jing landed firmly, his steps as swift as a shadow, slashing through the swarming Jin soldiers one blow after another.

The Mongol soldiers below the city wall cheered thunderously, their shouts of "Golden Knife Prince Consort! Golden Knife Prince Consort!" echoing across the surrounding fields.

Despite his own injury, Guo Jing firmly controlled an area of ​​two or three zhang in circumference on the city wall. From the direction he climbed, the second, third... more than ten Mongol soldiers climbed up.

Zhou Yan sighed. The Golden Knife Prince Consort had taken the lead and entered Zhongdu City. Genghis Khan would probably reward him.

The city floated amidst the chaotic flames. The sound of boulders shaking the long walls could be heard for miles.

As night fell completely, and as wave after wave of Mongol soldiers stormed the city walls and entered the city, the western gate of Zhongdu creaked open amidst the smoke of war.

The west gate was breached, and Mongol infantry and cavalry filed in.

Zhou Yan entrusted the "Night Lion" to the horse guild, using the cover of night to enter Zhongdu, where the sounds of battle were deafening.

……

The west gate of Zhongdu was the first place to be captured. Fierce fighting spread through the streets and alleys. A flying arrow deflected off the armor of a Mongol soldier. The soldier roared and lunged forward. His scimitar slashed into the shoulder of a Jin archer, pushing him backward and crashing through the gate of a courtyard on the side of the street before disappearing inside.

Amidst shouts of "Ah, ah," two figures swept across the courtyard. The Mongol soldier drew his sword and kicked the Jin soldier into the hall. The burly Mongol soldier then rushed in and beheaded the Jin soldier with a single stroke.

Blood sprayed out like fireworks. The woman hiding under the table screamed and rushed from the hall to the courtyard, clutching her child.

The bloodthirsty Mongol soldier caught up with the woman in a few strides, raised his long sword, and brought it down on her head.

"laugh"

A sharp whistling sound suddenly fell on the face of the Mongol soldier. A straight, spear-like whip struck the soldier's face, and the burly soldier fell to the ground like a wooden stake.

With a shout, Mei Chaofeng, dressed in black with her hair flying in the wind, and Huang Rong, dressed in a white robe, landed one after the other in the courtyard.

"Hey, you're dead if you run out like that, why don't you hide?" Huang Rong said.

The woman holding the child heard the girl's voice, turned around and saw the Mongol soldiers on the ground. Her legs went weak and she collapsed to the ground.

Huang Rong sighed, "The Mongol army is no different from the Jin army."

"Survival of the fittest, what do you think, Junior Sister?"

Huang Rong didn't reply to Mei Chaofeng, but instead said, "Clean up the corpses, go to the Fu'an Escort Agency, and leave Zhongdu tomorrow."

“We should have left long ago.” Mei Chaofeng said this, and as if she could see the objects, she flicked her wrist, and the soft whip wrapped around two corpses and threw them into the street.

Huang Rong once told Zhou Yan that she wanted to see the changing flags on the city walls of Zhongdu, the relocation of the Jin capital, and the empty Zhao Prince's mansion, where she lived freely and comfortably. Now that Zhongdu had fallen, seeing a considerable number of Mongol soldiers slaughtering civilians in their rage, her curiosity vanished. Huang Yaoshi, as the Eastern Heretic, was unconventional in his dealings with minor matters but adhered to fundamental principles, and Huang Rong was no different, filled with disgust for the Mongol soldiers.

The medicine boy was still in the backyard of Prince Zhao's mansion. Huang Rong acted as Mei Chaofeng's eyes and ears. Two figures, one in black and one in white, rose and fell among the rows of houses, approaching Xiang Fu'an Escort Agency.

……

Amidst the clamor, more than two hundred Jin soldiers, led by a slightly overweight military officer in his forties with a thick beard and a rather imposing appearance, stormed into the Changfeng Escort Agency.

Helian Chuncheng joined Yang Kang's forces, Changfeng opened a branch in Kaifeng, and Lei Luo, the former owner of the Sihai Escort Agency, finally saw the light of day and took charge of the Zhongdu branch.

The sudden intrusion of the Jin soldiers surprised Lei Luo, who thought to himself that the Mongol army was about to capture Zhongdu and their arrival at this time was just asking for trouble.

But he dared not be negligent and brought several bodyguards to receive him.

Upon seeing the military officer, the former owner of the Four Seas changed his expression again. He recognized the officer as Tang Zude, and had heard that the Crown Prince had learned martial arts from him when he was still a young prince in the Prince of Zhao's mansion.

During the siege of Zhongdu, he had private drinks with the other side.

Lei Luo also knew some scattered things. The thing Tang Zude hated most in his life was when others mentioned that he was Han Chinese. He considered himself to be highly skilled in martial arts and devoted to serving the Jin Dynasty with utmost loyalty, but the Jin Dynasty never allowed him to lead troops. After more than 20 years of hard work, he only held a sinecure in the Prince of Zhao's mansion.

The prince ascended the throne as emperor, and the young prince became the crown prince. Before the Jin dynasty moved its capital, it redeployed its city defenses. Tang Zude was finally given the opportunity to lead troops, but ended up as the city's defense general. Hence, he complained quite a bit while drinking.

"Why has the general come?" Lei Luo asked.

Tang Zude said, "The western city has fallen, the Mongol army has entered the city, and Zhongdu cannot be defended."

Lei Luo knew exactly what the other party was thinking, and he cautiously said, "But these two hundred-plus people can't be hidden in the escort agency."

Tang Zude said, "It's simple. Just change the clothes of the bodyguards and escorts, and we'll be all set."

What was said in jest was taken seriously by Lei Luo, who immediately thought of his nemesis, the Fu'an Escort Agency.

He said, "It can't accommodate so many people. If the Mongol soldiers search house to house, they will expose our weakness. The Fu'an Escort Agency is not far away. There are more than a hundred people there. If we deal with them, we can not only find a place to stay, but we can also get at least tens of thousands of taels of silver."

"Mr. Lei, what a great idea!" Tang Zude exclaimed with delight.

Lei Luo thought that with Fu'an eliminated, his branch would become the most powerful in Zhongdu, and he would be highly favored by the big boss in the future. So he said, "Fu'an Escort Agency has a few good men. I will arrange for the escorts to assist me."

Tang Zude disagreed. No matter how good one's martial arts skills are, they can't withstand arrows. However, time was of the essence, so he was happy to have a few more helpers.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Lei. When we arrive in Kaifeng, I will definitely put in a good word for my wife."

"Thank you!" Lei Luo was delighted and ordered more than ten bodyguards and porters to accompany him.

Lei Luo already knew that Zhou Yan, Wang Kui, and Shi Baichuan were not in Fu'an. Zhang Wangyue and Hu Yanlei alone were worth more than two hundred fierce Jin soldiers and more than ten skilled guards from the escort agency.

Lei Luo watched Tang Xiande lead his troops away, a smug look on his face. He muttered to himself, "Duan Huai'an, the time has come to settle the feud between the four seas."

……

Only a few places in the five courtyards of the Fu'an Escort Agency were lit, as the escorts and porters were all on high alert, hidden in the night.

Such a deployment was not intended to counter the Changfeng Escort Agency. Rather, it was to prevent the Jin soldiers from becoming desperate and engaging in arson, murder, and looting when the city fell, and also to guard against unscrupulous江湖 (jianghu, the martial arts world) scoundrels who might take advantage of the chaos.

When Wang Kui and Shi Baichuan returned, the Mongol army had besieged the city and they were trapped outside. At this time, the escort agency was actually missing nearly a third of its escorts and capable porters.

Silly Girl followed Mu Nianci and hid in the night.

The council chamber was lit up, and inside were the master, Duan Huai'an, the young master, Duan Chaoxi, Zhang Wangyue, and Huyan Lei.

Duan Chaoxi couldn't contain himself and paced back and forth in the hall. Duan Huai'an said, "Don't walk around like that and dazzle people."

"Father, I'm worried."

"Things will be fine after tonight."

Before he could finish speaking, hurried footsteps approached from afar. Liang Xiaowu quickly entered the hall and said, "Master, Chief Escort, a Jurchen military officer has arrived at the escort agency. He says he wants to capture Mongol spies and asks the agency to gather its forces."

Duan Huai'an looked at Zhang Wangyue.

The chief镖头 (bodyguard/escort) of Fu'an frowned. "Something's fishy. The city is about to fall, what's the point of capturing Mongol spies? They're clearly targeting us."

"What should we do?" Duan Chaoxi asked anxiously.

Zhang Wangyue looked back at Duan Huai'an.

The owner of Fu'an said, "The chief镖头 (chief镖师, a term referring to a bodyguard or镖师) will make

"Thank you, sir!" Zhang Wangyue stood up and bowed, then said to Liang Xiaowu, "Let the Jurchens in."

"Got it!"

Liang Xiaowu turned and strode away.

(End of this chapter)