My Cultivation Starting from Archery

This young man with the surname Song actually has a decent nature, it's a pity he followed the wrong person.

"I wonder how things are going on Han Cheng's side."

After disposing of the body, Chen Sansi, maintaining a "conceal and move without trace" state, rushed to their designated meeting place.

...

In the woods.

Dan Yuanzhi and the old servant, both with limbs severed, lay on the ground, using their last breath to experience a lifetime's flash before their eyes, then breathed their last.

"Han Cheng, you, you!"

Tang Ming looked down, his expression a mix of anger and confusion as he stared at the blade suddenly piercing his chest. "Traitor, go to hell—"

Even with a knife embedded in his heart, he did not die immediately. Instead, he burst forth with a terrifying brutal force, repelled his opponent with a palm strike to the chest, then drew Xiu Chun's Blade, which had been sheathed again, to fight once more.

In the distance.

Ji Guangxian and Xue Yuping sat on their horses, watching the scene with surprise.

"Ji, is Han Cheng your man?"

"Isn't he yours?"

Ji Guangxian frowned, "Could it be, the information was given to this officer by him?"

Not long ago.

Someone had slipped a secret letter into his residence.

Now it seems, it must have been Han Cheng.

"He's not your man?"

Xue Yuping quickly figured it out, "Then, he must be one of Sun Xiangzong's people."

"He's involved too?"

Ji Guangxian urged, "Xue, you better confess everything now. What exactly are you up to in Yunzhou?!"

"Stop your nonsense, I'm here only for the Immortal Treasure; I know nothing of the other matters!"

Xue Yuping said, moving to ride off first.

"Go!"

"Stop right there!"

Ji Guangxian stood firmly in front, "Xue, hand over the Immortal Treasure, then explain everything from start to finish, and I might spare your life!"

"Ji Guangxian, you count for nothing!"

"Vulgar!"

"Fine, a gentleman uses his fists, not his words. How about we have a go at each other?!"

"Bring it on!"

A red-robed official and a blue-robed official both dismounted, took off their official hats, removed their belts, and stripped down to their undershirts, rolling up their sleeves to wrestle and tussle.

You punch me, I punch you.

You grab my hair, I pull your beard.

"Despicable!"

"Crude!"

"Idiot!"

"Devious scoundrel!"

Soon, the two Imperial Officers had beaten each other black and blue.

"Gentlemen, quite skilled you are."

Chen Sansi suddenly appeared.

"Mr. Chen?!"

Xue Yuping was overjoyed, "You've arrived just in time! Quick, take action and slay this demon, then follow me out of here, straight to the Capital City!"

"Mr. Chen, kill him!"

Ji Guangxian, having the upper hand and sitting atop Xue Yuping, firmly grasped his opponent's hair, "Then come with me, Mr. Gao of the Cabinet will protect you!"

"Zi!"

Zhen Yue unsheathed.

Ji Guangxian's head hit the ground.

"Good!"

Xue Yuping hadn't even caught his breath when he saw the gleaming blade approaching him, "Mr. Chen, what are you doing, are you mad!"

"Zi!"

With a swing of the sword, a life was taken.

They all deserved to die!

All thinking of manipulating him by whatever means.

Chen Sansi sheathed his sword.

"Tang Ming, too, is dead."

After finishing the battle, Han Cheng, covered in blood and pale-faced, remarked, "Mr. Chen, what a brilliant strategy, what a move to 'borrow the knife to kill!' If not for this, Xue Yuping would have noticed your lack of escape and surely commanded Tang Ming to turn back and kill you first."

"Are you alright?"

Chen Sansi noticed the other was injured.

"I won't die, but I probably don't have much fighting strength left."

Han Cheng coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood and said weakly, "After simply handling the bodies, leave them here; the barbarian spies will soon discover them. Later, when the Capital City investigates, they will deduce that the severe and high factions killed each other to death. As for me, I'll also encounter trouble on my way back.

"In any case, even if there are suspicions, they will only suspect me, and then the Governor Mansion.

"Don't worry, if you can truly save the young lady and the young master, taking the blame is nothing, the Governor Mansion has been 'a dead pig not fearing boiling water.'

"Have you arranged what comes next?

"Leading the lady and young master through a small path?

"The intelligence says, in two days, the barbarians will withdraw twenty thousand troops from the main battlefield to Po Yang, among which, there may very well be hidden high masters of the Witch God Sect.

"So if we're going, it's best we leave tonight.

"Take your wife along with the young lady and young master, travel light, and breaking out from the small south gate should be no problem."

"Households Han."

Chen Sansi's gaze was fixed on the direction of the city, "When did I ever say I would only take them?"

Han Cheng, startled, "What do you mean, Mr. Chen?"

"Everyone, let's go!"

Chen Sansi's voice rang out firm, "Po Yang County city, as long as they are willing to exert effort in defending the city, be they soldiers or civilians, let's all leave together!"

"That's impossible."

Han Cheng was astonished, "Mr. Chen, with barbarians surrounding us on all sides, how could so many people possibly leave together?"

"I have a way to make the Xi River tribe temporarily retreat, daring not to pursue us even half a step for two days, thereby buying two to three days' time to retreat. Then we could receive the support of two thousand troops from Hengkang Prefecture, and survival might not be impossible."

Chen Sansi knew, taking the civilians with them would be a burden.

But those soldiers willing to follow him to the death, which one of them did not have families?!

If they stayed behind, not one would survive.If they left, sure, many might die along the way, but even having one more person live is worth it.

Again, that saying.\\

Within the limits of his ability, he aimed to do what would leave him with no regrets.

There was another equally important point.\\

No matter the use of the Blood Sacrifice, whatever the Dog Emperor and the barbarians aimed to achieve.

He just had to stir things up!

...

"Time to pay up, time to pay up!"

West of the city.

In the large mansion of Zhao's Martial Arts Academy in Zhao Family, nearly all the town's gentry and lords were gathered, each dressed in fine silk, fat-bodied but with faces full of horror and unease, evidencing the recent troubled times.

Wang Zhi stood at the highest point, his voice booming, "Time to pay up, only silver notes accepted, no silver!"

"Mr. Wang!"

Master of Zhao's Martial Arts Academy, Zhao Shanming, his face somewhat pale, said, "One thousand taels of silver per family, isn't that too expensive?"

"Exactly, Wang Zhi, you are taking advantage of a crisis!"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

A gentry who had been an official but had retired to his hometown accused, "I know the superior officer of An Ding Prefecture's Commanding Department. Be careful, I might just report you!"

"Damn it, go ahead!"

Wang Zhi cursed loudly, "An Ding Prefecture is still under siege, just try! A bunch of ingrates, too expensive? If it's too expensive, then none of you leave!

"If it weren't for the good relationships I maintained with you on normal days, would I still be thinking of you at such a critical time?!"

"Last chance, pay a thousand taels of silver notes, and I'll lead you to safety in Hengkang Prefecture, otherwise, just stay here!"

"A thousand taels..."

The crowd murmured among themselves, "It doesn't limit the number of people per household, it's actually a good deal."

"Right, let's go! We can't stay in Po Yang anymore."

"Mr. Wang, you better not be deceiving us!"

...

"Rest assured!"

Wang Zhi then smiled, "I, Wang Zhi, take money to get things done, always reliable!

"As long as you pay, I guarantee you can leave Po Yang!

"Hurry up, those who want to live, we depart from the West City Gate in two hours, don't be late!"

"We'll pay the money!"

A group of people started lining up to pay.

Then, within the allotted time, they hastily packed their belongings and assembled their personnel.

Inside Po Yang City.

There were still two major Martial Arts Halls left, eight smaller ones, and several dozen large families.

In the end, a total of about two thousand people gathered!

Among them, over twelve hundred were adult males, with more than three hundred who had martial training, and dozens were Blood Refining Warriors.

But they had been defending the city for over a month.

Aside from those initially forced into conscription, none of these people had been on the battlefield!

"Pan Quan, what the hell are you dawdling for!"

Wang Zhi urged him on.

Pan Quan, Zhao Shanming, and others, not only brought their families, but also carts filled with gold, silver, and precious medicines, unwilling to abandon anything.

For over a century, their families had passed down who knows how much wealth.

"Alright, hurry up!"

Wang Zhi ordered.

With them were also Zhao Kang, Xiong Qiuan, and two hundred soldiers, who began distributing weapons to those who didn't have any.

Since the defense began, they had seized numerous weapons, enough in quantity.

Liu, a gentleman now in his sixties, was handed a standard long sword, "Mr. Wang, what are you doing? We're supposed to be escaping the city, why are you distributing weapons?"

"It's a breakout, what else?"

Wang Zhi explained, "The city is surrounded on all sides. Although the defense on the west side of the city is weaker, we still need to break through. But don't worry, I'll take the lead; you just need to use the weapons to defend yourselves.

"Let's go, no more waiting!"

"Humm—"

The West City Gate opened in the darkness of the night.

Wang Zhi led the way at the front, with Zhao Kang and Xiong Qiuan on either side.

About two hours out.

Campsites came into view.

Inside and outside the camp, the guard was rigorous, with squads of cavalry patrolling back and forth. Judging from the deployment of forces, there were at least two thousand troops; this was clearly not a weak spot but rather the main general's camp.

"Wang Zhi, are you sure this is right?"

Zhao Shanming caught up and said nervously, "We should retreat and find another way out before they notice us!"

"Wrong way?"

Wang Zhi looked at him and smirked, "I'm heading straight for their main camp!"

"What do you mean?"

Before Zhao Shanming could figure it out, sudden, earth-shaking shouts erupted nearby.

"Kill—"

"Kill—"

"Boom, boom, boom—"

Zhao Kang, Xiong Qiuan, and others, numbering over two hundred, started shouting without warning, not forgetting to raise their torches.

"Kill!"

"Directly charge the main camp, capture Wu Mu'er alive!"

"What?"

The lords, who thought they were breaking out to escape, were so shocked by the sudden change that they were at a loss.

"Wang Zhi, what… what exactly are you trying to do?!"

Zhao Shanming's words became incoherent.

"What am I doing, didn't you hear?"

Wang Zhi shouted, "Charge the enemy camp, capture Wu Mu'er alive!"

"If you want to die, go ahead by yourself!"

Zhao Shanming turned and ran.

"Run fast!"

Over a thousand people turned around, ready to head back to the city.

At that moment.

Feng Yong, leading a squad of troops, rushed out and blocked their escape route, stabbing to death the one at the front, "Anyone who retreats another step dies!"

"Enemy attack, enemy attack!"

With such commotion, how could the barbarian main camp fail to notice?

They dispatched a large number of troops to form up and charge.

"Zhao Shanming, Pan Quan!"

Wang Zhi pointed with his Mo Blade at the rapidly approaching barbarian army, "You can't run now, either fight with me, or wait to be chopped up by random swords!"

Meanwhile.

Atop the city walls.

"The lord truly has a great strategy, even I have to admire it!"

Xu Wen, holding a feather fan picked up from who knows where, waved his hand grandly, "Ignite it!"