dtnovels Chapter 213 Arson is an Art
Chapter 213 Arson is an Art
"The weather is dry, be careful with fire!"
The night watchman yawned deeply as he struck his gong; the people inside Panshi Pass were fast asleep.
In the military camp, Yuejiang suddenly woke up from his dream and got up to pour himself a glass of cold water, but perhaps because he was restless, he lost his grip.
"Snapped--"
Looking at the shattered cup, Yuejiang frowned and summoned the guards on duty outside the tent.
What time is it now?
"Reporting to the General, it is the hour of Yin (3-5 AM)."
The White Tiger, associated with the element of Geng Metal, governs life and death; this is not a good omen.
Thinking of this, Yuejiang put on his armor and said, "Let's go and patrol the city walls."
The guards, already accustomed to his decisive style, quickly followed.
Yue Jiang was skilled in military discipline, and this surprise inspection did not find any slacking soldiers. He nodded to himself but said aloud, "Be more vigilant!"
Captain Liu was a seasoned veteran. He readily agreed to the request, but after Yue Jiang left, he nonchalantly curled his lip and said, "In the ten years I've guarded the border, I've never encountered a fool who would launch a surprise attack on Panshi Pass."
“That’s right,” the junior officer chimed in. “In our territory, it’s useless if there are too few people, but if there are too many, the watchtowers built every five miles outside the pass won’t be just for show.”
As he spoke, he pulled out a dice cup from somewhere, saying, "Luckily, Xiao's hands were quick."
Several soldiers nearby also gathered around to join in the fun; they were clearly repeat offenders.
"Ergou, what are you still doing here? It's your turn to relieve the guard at the watchtower today."
"No rush, no rush, there's still an hour left."
"Come on, come on! Place your bets now!"
"Big big!"
"Little little!"
"Leopard! The dealer wins all!"
…………
Meanwhile, the soldiers guarding the seven watchtowers outside the pass, which they mentioned, had all died silently.
"We have at most one hour."
Mu Qi nodded solemnly, waved his hand, and led the army on a swift march.
Shen Qing watched the main force depart, but he and another team behind him did not rush to set off and remained where they were.
While hiding in the mountain valley, Shen Qing ordered his soldiers to string together collected leaves to make camouflage uniforms. During the day, a group of moving leaves quietly advanced to the outermost edge of Anguo's border defenses, and continued to lie in ambush at night.
It wasn't that Shen Qing didn't want to travel at night, but the main problem was that most people suffered from night blindness these days. If torches were lit, with such a large group of people, the soldiers at the lookout tower would immediately light beacon fires and relay the message all the way back to Panshi Pass, thus losing the essence of a surprise attack.
According to the intelligence obtained by Tao San, the soldiers stationed at the watchtower rotate shifts every day from 3:00 AM to 7:00 AM, taking advantage of this time difference.
Shen Qing raised her hand to feel the wind direction. "It's getting windy."
The accompanying military officer replied, "It is indeed the east wind!"
“Very good,” Shen Qing’s gaze sharpened, and he turned to the remaining squad of soldiers, saying, “Those who stay and return to camp will be promoted to centurions!”
"I am willing to die for the Xuan Kingdom!"
The soldiers then worked in perfect unison, quickly setting up scaffolding and tearing open the large bolt of cloth...
As dawn broke, Captain Liu, having fought fiercely with his brothers all night, yawned as he patrolled the city walls, occasionally glancing up at the sky.
They vaguely saw dozens of gray shadows approaching in the sky but didn't pay them any mind, assuming they were just passing dark clouds. It wasn't until those large figures got closer that a sharp-eyed soldier noticed something amiss.
"That thing looks like a sky lantern?"
"Who releases sky lanterns when it's not a festival or holiday..."
"My goodness! What a huge sky lantern!!!"
Xiaoqi finally realized the seriousness of the situation and shouted in terror, "Oh no! It's an enemy attack!"
The warning horn sounded, but it was too late. Ordinary arrows couldn't reach high enough, and while the ballistae had enough range, their lack of maneuverability made them difficult to aim. They could only watch helplessly as dozens of enormous sky lanterns floated overhead and entered the city.
The soldiers, riding in hot air balloons designed by Shen Qing, looked down at the city below. Once they approached the target area, they quickly opened the leather bags, and oil poured out.
The sleeping residents vaguely heard a crackling sound from the roof and muttered, "Is it raining?"
He turned over and went back to sleep, but unfortunately he didn't get to sleep for long. A few people who got up early to make a living were the first to notice something was wrong and started shouting.
After the rain of oil came the lit torches. As a border town, Panshi Pass was not wealthy. Most of the houses in the town were built of wood, and there were even many thatched huts in the slums.
The flames touched the oil and ignited on the roof. The fire spread rapidly with the help of the wind, and house after house caught fire, like a raging fire dragon, devouring everything in sight.
In an instant, a sea of fire erupted within the city, the orange-red flames illuminating the entire sky, and thick smoke billowed into the heavens.
Countless people were awakened from their sleep by the sudden fire and shouts. They opened their eyes, their clothes disheveled, and rushed out of their homes to see raging fire ravaging the city, with flames falling from the sky constantly devouring everything around them.
Most people fled their homes in a panic, but did not know where to hide. They could only run aimlessly through the streets, with women screaming and calling out the names of their children.
The children who were knocked down by the crowd were so frightened that they sat on the ground crying loudly, calling for their parents. The elderly were coughing incessantly from the thick smoke, staggered, and almost fell to the ground.
The chaos within the city was like a beacon signal. The elite Red Sky warriors who had infiltrated the city beforehand immediately sprang into action, blending into the fleeing crowds, shouting for help while adding fuel to the fires of unlit houses, or untying the reins of livestock within the city, causing donkeys, horses, and mules to panic and charge around, aiming to make the chaos even more chaotic.
Suddenly struck by a sudden inspiration, Biaozi shouted at the top of his lungs, "Heavenly fire is burning the city! It's divine punishment!"
Most of the ignorant people had never even seen a sky lantern and had no idea what was flying in the sky. They felt that it was a divine punishment, and their hearts were filled with fear. Many people even knelt down and kowtowed to pray.
This triggered another stampede, and a series of chain reactions plunged the entire city into chaos, with cries for help, screams for help, and the sounds of collapsing buildings all mixed together.
Standing atop the city wall across the river, looking down at the sea of fire below that resembled a living hell, his hand gripping the sword trembled slightly.
That's despicable!
The enemy chose this moment to take action, using the entire city's population as hostages. At this time, most people were still asleep and unable to escape. Many people were trapped in burning houses. If no troops were sent to rescue them, the enemy would simply watch as the people died in the fire.
However, if troops are sent out, it is not hard to imagine that the enemy will soon be at the city gates, and there are likely spies inside preparing to launch a coordinated attack from within.
Is it better to lose people and preserve the city, or preserve the city and lose people...?
Yuejiang closed his eyes in pain, his hand gripping the hilt of the knife so tightly that the veins bulged. When he opened his eyes again, he had made up his mind.
"Enter the city and begin rescue operations!"