It's the fourth watch and everything is silent.
Since they had guessed that the officers and soldiers would run into the trap they had set tomorrow, and a big battle was about to occur, the bandits in Erlong Mountain took the time to rest and recharge their batteries. Therefore, except for a few of the two or three hundred ambushes on the rocky mountains on both sides, everyone else had found a place to sleep. Even those who were keeping watch at this time were actually not much different from being blind with their eyes open. After all, the moon was dark and windy. On a high night, in the dark wilderness, their sight could only cover a certain distance in front of them.
As for what's behind them, they don't even pay attention to it. You must know that there is almost no way to access the cliff behind Dong Shek Kip. They all climbed up from the bottom of the Kip Valley. The natural danger from behind is not too much, so how could someone sneak up there? And it's even harder to do this late at night.
But some accidents happened due to negligence. At this time, behind the stone mountain only a few dozen feet away from the ambush, five or six elite scout battalions with strong skills and ropes on their shoulders continued to approach under the guidance of Shi Qian. At this time, they could already vaguely hear the snoring coming from above, which made everyone more alert and their movements became lighter: "There is indeed an ambush up here. If the governor hadn't been on guard early in the morning, after dawn, If you accidentally get into Dong Shek Kip..." Thinking of the possible consequences, many people shuddered.
Shi Qian glanced at them, waved his hand to stop their actions, and then lowered his voice and ordered: "You wait here first, I will throw down the rope when I go up first, and you can go up then." It’s easier.”
These brothers in the scout battalion had all seen their captain's light-weight skills, so they all nodded, then took out their repeating crossbows and aimed them upward to prevent Shi Qian from encountering mishaps on the way up the mountain. In order to improve the combat effectiveness of the Scout Battalion, Sun Tu has given them all the serial crossbows captured from Baihu Mountain. At least until serial crossbows can be manufactured in batches, this is a special weapon for the soldiers of the Scout Battalion.
Shi Qian no longer delayed, took two steps back, and rushed forward. When he arrived in front of the stone mountain, he had already jumped up. At the same time, he put his hands up, and his body had risen a lot out of thin air. The steep and rugged mountain wall here is a natural chasm for many people, but in the eyes of Shi Qian, who uses both hands and feet, it is not much different from the smooth road to the sky. In just a short time, he has risen four to five feet high. , If it weren't for the fact that there were enemies above who dared not speak out, I'm afraid these subordinates would have clapped their hands and applauded at this time.
However, after quickly climbing up for more than ten feet, Shi Qian's movements finally slowed down. Because the further up he went, the fewer protruding stones he could use to draw strength. It would be too difficult to go up the next ten feet or so with bare hands.
At this time, Shi Qian was also scanning the surroundings with all his concentration, looking for any place where he could use his strength to move upward. Sometimes, because the distance between two points is too large, he has to risk jumping a foot or so to find a new foothold. But when it rose another two or three feet, there was no such point of leverage anymore, and it was almost impossible to look up again.
Although due to the color of the sky and the distance, those below could no longer see clearly what Shi Qian was doing above, and could only see a blurry black dot jumping back and forth there, but the more it looked like this, the more it made people feel sad. Shocked, Shi Qian broke into a cold sweat. If this were ten thousand
If he accidentally slipped, or if the thieves on the mountain heard something at this time, Shi Qian, who was in such a dangerous situation, would really be dead.
But at this moment, he had been staying at 17 or 18 feet for a long time. It was obvious that he could not find any climbing point. He suddenly jumped up high. He was completely out of the range of the cliff. The danger was so dangerous that these people in the past were frightened. The experts from the scout battalion who had ventured everywhere in the deep mountains and old forests almost screamed in surprise.
Just when everyone was horrified and felt that Shi Qian was seeking death, his body that was about to fall after running out of momentum in his jump suddenly paused as he waved his arms, and then he began to rise slowly again. Go, but this time I don’t even need any leverage.
After being stunned for a moment, everyone wiped away the cold sweat on their foreheads, and at the same time thought of the reason. Obviously, at that moment, Shi Qian shot out the unique rope that had been hidden in his sleeves, and hooked it somewhere above. . That was the housekeeping method he used when he was stealing in Qingzhou City. If Sun Tu and the others hadn't taken action several times later, he might have been able to escape with this.
This is indeed the case. The black rope hidden in Shi Qian's sleeves was secretly made. Although it was only as thin as a finger, it was extremely tough. Coupled with his light body skills, it could really allow him to do anything. Go over the eaves and walk over the wall. Just now, seeing that there was no way to go up, he simply took a gamble and aimed at a small tree near the cliff on the top of the mountain. He swung the rope and entangled it, so that he could use his strength to go up again. This also depends on his rope being long enough, otherwise this trick may not be effective.
Just like this, there was finally some movement. Not only did the small tree sway and make a gurgling sound due to the force, but the protruding stones on the stone wall that he had just stepped on also fell down in response. There was a snapping sound, which was particularly harsh in the silent night.
The soldiers of the scout battalion at the foot of the mountain trembled violently, but they couldn't see clearly what was happening above. The bandits above were also greatly alarmed at this time, and several people came to the rear to check the situation vigilantly. It's just that this is the darkest time before dawn, and they don't dare to light a fire or expose themselves, so this investigation really can't find anything.
Someone even laughed: "Brother Gao, what can you see here? If someone can really climb up from the back mountain, he would be a god. It should be the wind blowing the stones down that makes this little movement, don't be suspicious. .”
Hearing this, the man also knew that it was a fantasy that someone came from the back mountain, so he laughed and cursed: "I just feel that I should be more careful and want you to get into trouble." Then he turned back.
And not long after he walked back, Shi Qian quietly rose up from the cliff behind him. After taking a sneak peek at the surrounding terrain, he quickly and lightly tied the long rope on his back to a boulder slightly closer to the inside. Then with a shake of his hand, he tied the three-foot-long rope on his back. A rope more than ten feet long was thrown down the mountain.
At this time, there were one or two hundred more people at the foot of the mountain. The sudden appearance of these people really startled the scouts. It was not until the other party revealed his identity as a sergeant of the Second Battalion A and B that they felt relieved, but they still asked, "Why are you here too?"
"We are here to seize the hilltop here under the orders of the Governor. In this way, it is our officers and soldiers who have the advantage of the geographical advantage. Moreover, with you on top to support us, I
We should be able to go up safely. "
While talking, Shi Qian threw down the rope. After a moment's hesitation, the scouts recognized the change and immediately ordered others to wait at the bottom of the mountain while he climbed up the rope one by one.
For these scouts who are used to walking on mountain roads, as long as there is a rope, the cliff is really not a problem. However, many of the carefully selected sergeants from the two battalions swallowed nervously when they saw the steep and towering cliffs. It was not easy to climb up in the dark.
People went up one by one, but their movements were not as light and skillful as Shi Qian's. After a while, a few pebbles were touched and fell down. Although the movement was not as loud as before, it was enough to scare the night watchman above. Somewhat alarmed: "What's going on tonight? There are continuous sounds coming from behind. Could it be that the army is really coming from the back mountain?"
Just when someone was planning to go back to see what was going on, an exclamation came from the front: "Look there... the army actually chose this moment to send troops?"
This loud shout immediately attracted the attention of everyone on the mountain, and regardless of the small incident behind them, everyone stood up and looked towards the east end of the valley. Just when they saw it, dozens or hundreds of torches suddenly lit up. Then groups of officers and soldiers came quickly towards this side. Looking at this posture, he actually planned to cross Dong Shek Kip before dawn!
"How could the officers and soldiers make such an arrangement? Don't they know that marching at night is more dangerous and that if they are ambushed, the damage will be more serious?" On the other side of the mountain, Han Benshan frowned and murmured to himself, but in his heart Already quite uneasy.
"We can't worry about so much anymore. As long as they dare to get into the valley, as long as they have a large group to enter, we will take action!" The leader of Erlongshan who was commanding here immediately gritted his teeth, "Everyone, move the stones over, listen. I give orders!"
This time, the officers and soldiers were marching much faster than before. As soon as it dawned, the team had already arrived at the entrance of Xia Valley. Then the army suddenly stopped moving and sent a cavalry team of more than ten people to the west. Speeding away from the exit.
After the team passed safely and waved the flag to signal safety three miles away, the large group of people slowly began to walk towards Dong Shek Kip.
Seeing this scene, the eyes of the Erlong Mountain bandits on the hills on both sides flashed with excitement. The enemy had fallen into the trap, and it was time for them to show off their skills and bury them all in Dongshixiao.
And just when they were concentrating on this army brigade, more than a hundred soldiers silently moved up behind the stone mountain on the south side. It was not completely silent, but due to the restlessness of the officers and soldiers at the entrance of Qiaoku, the little noise they made had long been ignored.
At this time, these elite soldiers also knew why the brothers below were taking such risks. They were covering themselves up, which made these people feel very uneasy. After confirming that the men and horses going up the mountain were no longer under each other, and the sky finally cleared up, Zhou Xing, the leader, waved his hand and ordered without hesitation: "Brothers, kill!"
At the same time, under the orders of their respective leaders, the bandits on the mountains on both sides moved the stones in front of them and threw them at the officers and soldiers in the valley.
The battle broke out in an instant...