Both arrows shot out and struck in one strike.
The two guards on the watchtower were shot in the throat before they could even see who the enemy was.
The guards at the checkpoint have been accustomed to paying attention to the south outside the checkpoint for many years. No one expected that the enemy would sneak up from behind. By the time the Han soldiers discovered the situation, dozens of fierce Chu soldiers had already charged in with swords. Come up.
There was no cry of killing, but the lack of killing sounds made it even scarier.
"Enemy attack, enemy attack!" The Han soldiers on the stone wall shouted loudly, and the repeated shouts immediately woke up many dazed Han soldiers.
The Han soldiers guarding the checkpoints will of course train on weekdays. Once an enemy situation arises, everyone will know what they should do.
But all along, the imaginary enemy trained by the Han soldiers was the Chu people from the south. If the Chu enemies from the south appeared, everyone would know their responsibilities and what they should do. But now the enemy is attacking from the rear. Following the deployment of previous training will not have any effect at all.
What frightened the Han soldiers the most was that the enemy shot and killed the two sentries on the watchtower as soon as possible. This was really fatal.
If the sentry on the watchtower is killed, no signal can be sent out. Even if you shout at the top of your lungs, you can't call for any reinforcements.
The enemies came in the night like a pack of wolves, rushing forward and slashing with their swords without saying a word.
There were only about thirty officers and soldiers guarding the checkpoint, which did not have any advantage in terms of numbers. Moreover, the enemy was caught off guard. The Han soldiers were not ready yet, and several people were killed.
Fortunately, these Han soldiers were well-trained after all. After a moment of panic, someone already shouted sternly: "Archers are covering, brothers, don't panic."
Several archers on the wall were bending their bows and setting up arrows. In the night, they could only see silhouettes flashing. For a moment, it was not clear which one was the enemy and which one was one of our own. What was even more terrible was that after identifying the enemy, the enemy was already fighting with the Han soldiers. Fighting together, the archers were afraid of accidentally injuring their companions and did not dare to shoot easily. They finally found a gap and shot a few arrows, but the opponents were not weak in movement and dodged them one after another.
After Cao Ying was drunk, he was sleeping soundly. He vaguely heard a sound in his daze. Before he understood what was going on, he heard someone beside him shouting: "Colonel, Captain, wake up quickly, there is an enemy attack!"
As soon as Cao Ying heard the words "enemy is coming", cold sweat broke out on his vest. He woke up instantly and got up. Under the night, he saw only figures intertwined, and there was already a fight all around.
He immediately looked up at the watchtower and saw the two soldiers on the watchtower motionless. Knowing that something was wrong, he pulled out his saber and shouted: "Get out of my way." Without saying a word, he rushed towards the watchtower.
After all, he was guarding this checkpoint. If the Chu people got rid of this checkpoint, he would bear all the blame.
Cao Ying knew that military law was ruthless. If the checkpoint fell into the hands of the enemy silently, his family would be in danger if the superiors were to question him. However, if he could send out a signal in time, he could let the checkpoint behind him know that there was someone there. If the enemy attacks, then even if the first checkpoint is not secured, or even he dies here, his family will be safe.
He had no other thoughts at this time except to climb up the watchtower and blow the horn.
Cao Ying's thoughts were also understood by several Han soldiers around him. They immediately followed Cao Ying and rushed towards the watchtower. Two enemies rushed towards him. Two Han soldiers immediately rushed up behind Cao Ying to block him. Cao Ying buys time.
Like an enraged beast, Cao Ying rushed to the watchtower with two people. The enemy obviously also discovered Cao Ying's intention. Five or six figures rushed towards this side, preparing to stop Cao Ying. The Han soldiers There were also people who understood, and several people also stepped forward to block him.
Cao Ying and two Han soldiers rushed to the foot of the watchtower and immediately climbed up the watchtower.
There are two ladders that can be climbed up in this watchtower. Cao Ying took the lead in climbing on one side, followed by another person who also climbed up. Another Han soldier quickly climbed up along the wooden ladder on the other side.
call out!
A sharp arrow shot through the air and hit the back of the Han soldier's neck. The Han soldier loosened his hands and rolled down the wooden ladder.
Cao Ying was taken aback, but she accelerated her climb up. Suddenly she felt a dark shadow flashing in front of her eyes, and her heart trembled. Then a burst of cold air came from the side. Cao Ying turned around and saw a big knife heading towards him. Cut it down myself.
Cao Ying raised his sword to resist, and saw the two swords striking each other. Unexpectedly, the opponent's wrist twisted, and the sword had already made a half-circle like magic. Before Cao Ying could understand what the move was, the sword had already sliced diagonally. In an instant, Cao Ying's neck was cut, and blood spurted from the blade. Cao Ying rolled down the wooden ladder and hit the soldier below him. Both of them rolled down like rolling stones.
Cao Ying tried to rush to the watchtower, but many Han soldiers saw it. A group of enemies were attacking at night. Although they had already fought with each other, many Han soldiers were not sure what the situation was. They just relied on instinct to resist the fight, and only hoped in their hearts. As Cao Ying blew the horn, he saw that Cao Ying was also chopped with a knife. All thoughts were lost, and many people were frightened and fell into despair.
It was naturally Qi Ning who slashed Cao Ying with his sword.
He knew that after the guard on the watchtower was shot and killed, the others must have thought of seizing the watchtower to send a signal, so when they rushed over, they stayed near the watchtower.
Cao Ying was killed, and the Han soldiers had no intention of fighting. Instead, a group of Chu soldiers wanted to make a contribution in front of the little prince. Each one was more fierce than the other, and they were merciless with their swords. These people were carefully selected elite soldiers. , the elite among the elite, with rich combat experience. A group of people came to kill them. Although it was not a tiger among the sheep, they still had an overwhelming advantage. The Han soldiers fell one after another, and in the end some even abandoned their swords. Surrender, but the Chu soldiers had no intention of accepting the surrender. They raised their swords and killed them as usual.
In less than a stick of incense, the checkpoint had returned to peace. None of the Han soldiers guarding the place were spared. Any Han soldiers who tried to escape at night were chased down the mountain and killed.
Qining wiped away the blood on the knife edge and ordered everyone to count the number of people first.
This night attack can be said to be a complete victory, but two Chu soldiers were still killed and four others were injured. Other than that, everyone else was intact.
Qi Ning ordered people to pile up the corpses of Han soldiers first, and then everyone opened the entrance to the checkpoint, called the four injured soldiers over, and said: "The four of you are injured and have made military exploits. Come back to the capital." After that, I will definitely ask the imperial court to take credit for you." Then he said to Lu Kang: "Lu Kang, you must write down the names of these four injured brothers, and also the names of the two brothers who died in the battle. Remember, when you go back, not only will you give them a generous burial, but you will also provide generous support to their families."
Lu Kang raised his hands and said yes.
"The four of you will stay here." Qining said: "The bodies of the two brothers who died in the battle will be left here first. When the people from behind come over, they will be sent back to Hanzhong. You just wait here for the army to come over. Until then, this checkpoint will be guarded by you, and nothing will happen."
The four wounded soldiers looked at each other, and one of them said: "Your Majesty, no one will come here again. We are willing to continue moving forward with the Marquis."
"I know what you are thinking." Qining patted the man on the shoulder: "But you are injured, and there is a checkpoint in front of you. If they find out about your injuries, they will definitely become suspicious. We You must not take risks. You have shown great bravery this time and made achievements that satisfy me very much. If you still make achievements, I will definitely give you a chance, but not this time."
The wounded soldiers also knew in their hearts that what Qi Ning said was true. Although the injuries of the four people were not fatal, they could be easily seen through. It would be impossible to recover before reaching the next checkpoint. If the Han soldiers who were caught by the next checkpoint were The soldiers saw that the flaw would indeed affect the entire team. If they didn't persist, they all knelt down and held their hands together and said: "Sir, be careful along the way. We are here waiting for the rear team to arrive."
Qi Ning smiled slightly and looked at the entrance where the stone wall had been opened. Without saying a word, he waved and said, "Let's go!"
Tonight's attack, Qining brought thirty-eight warriors over. Two were killed and four were wounded, which meant six men were missing. He could only bring the remaining thirty-two men back to join Ji Jincai.
There was nothing wrong with Ji Jincai's side. When Qi Ning came back and understood some of the situation, the team rested where they were that night so that everyone could recover their strength.
Early the next morning, the team continued to move forward. At dusk, they saw the second checkpoint of the Northern Han people on Ziwu Road.
The team naturally repeated their old tricks, and the Han soldiers at the second checkpoint were really surprised by the sudden arrival of the Chu delegation, but considering that the first checkpoint had already been passed, there was no reason to stop them. But it was a smoother pass than the first checkpoint.
When passing the border, everyone in the team was still quietly observing the layout of the checkpoint, which was not much different from the previous one.
Everything happened again, and with the previous experience, everyone was even more skilled this time. After passing the checkpoint for less than ten miles, the team stopped. When the night fell, Qining led everyone back and solved the problem in the barracks first. The Han soldiers then went straight to the checkpoint, and still launched a surprise attack on the guards at the checkpoint. They still defeated the guards on the watchtower first. This fight was still a complete victory, but Qining Four people were still killed and seven injured here, which was heavier than the casualties at the first checkpoint.
"Sir, if you go north from here, in another thirty miles, you can walk out of the Qinling Mountains and enter the northwest territory." When the soldiers were cleaning up the battlefield, Ji Jincai came over and said: "According to what I know, the road ahead will be much smoother. One day Within that, you can easily get out of the Qinling Mountains.”
Qi Ning nodded slightly and said: "After cleaning up, let the brothers change into the clothes of the Northern Han people first." He looked up at the night sky before dawn and said softly: "The real test comes next!"