choke element

Chapter 989: Enemy Force (Part )

Amidst the low, hoarse gasps, a man wrapped in vines and withered grass slowly poked his head out and looked forward. While climbing the cliff, the sharp rocks had cut bloody marks on his arms and chest. As his muscles tightened, the wound at the junction of his neck and shoulder also stretched, squeezing out blood from time to time.

But he didn't care, he just climbed to the top of the slope, then he hugged the protruding rocks on the edge of the steep cliff with both hands and looked down with all his attention.

This was Wu Xian's third day wandering in the mountains, and these three days were truly tough.

When the accident happened in the village, Wu Xian escaped from the village in the smoke and fire, then he calmed down and started to think about what to do next.

He had encountered many unfortunate things in his life. When he was a Taoist priest, his temple caught fire and was burned down. When he was a soldier, he encountered the invasion of Mongolia. When he was a bandit, he was surrounded and suppressed by the army of the new dynasty. He could not eat meat and was only beaten. These repeated misfortunes tempered his nerves and made him very tough, so he would not be depressed for long.

He initially planned to go south to report the Mongol army's movements to the Zhou army officers guarding the pass. However, he had no horses and could not walk fast even on the mountain roads, so he was easily overtaken by the Mongol army that had entered the mountainous areas. He then planned to go west and head directly to Datong Prefecture, but the Mongol army broke through the stockades one after another, surrendered several guides, and then set up a net search along the mountain valleys to block traffic.

Wu Xian fled, inquired, and gathered companions along the way. At most, he had gathered 60 to 70 people. Then they were all killed by the Mongolian light cavalry, and he almost lost his life several times.

He ran for two days without closing his eyes or drinking a few sips of water, but Wu Xian was unable to escape and was entangled by a group of old thieves who had robbed him in the past.

When the Mongols attacked this time, they killed anyone they saw and left no one alive. However, these people were able to survive, which showed that they had already colluded deeply with the Mongols.

This kind of person especially likes to use the heads of his old friends to seek credit. After discovering Wu Xian's whereabouts, he chased him for two days in a row, making him panic.

Why is this so? I am now a lonely man, a lonely ghost, no longer the tough guy who led thousands of soldiers! Back then, when we drank and ate meat in the mountain village, we shared gold and silver, and you guys were not missing!
After running away for two days while cursing, Wu Xian finally understood.

This was not only a request from the traitors to be rewarded for their meritorious service, but also a strict order from the leader of the Mongolian army.

The Mongolian army's light cavalry intrusion into the border defense line was nothing. No matter how tight the border defense is in this world, it cannot be flawless. The Mongolians can penetrate the front line by breaking through one point. But after entering the mountainous area where the forces of both sides are infiltrating each other and there are many bandits and bandits as local snakes, the Mongolians can easily destroy many mountain strongholds, which is rare.

The Mongols rushed here to block the retreat of the numerous garrisons on the grassland and block the passage for the guards at the rear pass to send out troops to support them. This task was not easy.

The first time they went south, they infiltrated through this mountainous area and caught the Jin army off guard at Feihukou and Zijingguan. If they wanted to do the same thing a second time, they would underestimate the brains of the Zhou army. Besides, the Zhou army was not like the useless Jin army. Not only could they fight, but they also had a very high level of combat readiness and could be deployed very quickly.

The Mongols were able to wipe out so many villages before the Zhou army could react, so they must have some special means. And this means is confidential and must not be leaked easily. Except for a few guides who defected, anyone who saw this means would die.

However, Wu Xian was a stubborn person. He got angry and insisted on going to see what the method was.

So he no longer walked towards the outskirts of the mountain area, but dived back into the mountains, heading towards a village that he expected to be in a particularly remote location and would be the last target of the Mongols.

There was another benefit to doing this. That was that when he suddenly changed direction, the pursuers behind him were confused and were thrown off. Only a few dogs with particularly keen noses kept chasing him.

For example, at this moment, two people are passing by under the cliff.

The two men were very alert. The one in front pulled the reins and walked slowly along the winding mountain path, turning his head back and forth constantly. He would stop and poke at the haystacks on the side of the road with his sheathed long knife. The one behind followed on foot with a short knife hanging from his waist.

Fortunately, the two were too focused on the situation in front of them and on the roadside and did not look up.

Wu Xian clung to the slanting stone wall, not moving. Until the man passed right below him, he loosened his hands and fell suddenly.

The force of a human body weighing hundreds of pounds falling was not small, and Wu Xian was also calculating without thinking. He tightened his whole body as he fell, putting all his weight on the small axe in his hand. After a dull thud, the palm-sized axe chopped into the back of the knight's head, and then continued to break downwards, cutting off half of his head and the entire face.

The momentum had not yet subsided, and the falling axe sank deeply into the horse's back, which had no time to escape. The horse, in pain, rushed forward with the corpse still sitting on its back, with half of its head gushing blood. After hitting the rocks on the side, it rolled into the deep valley on the other side, making a terrible whine.

Wu Xian rolled on the ground and tried to stand up with one hand, but he felt pain from his palm to his arm as if it was broken.

The foot attendants behind him didn't react at all. They just stared at Wu Xian gritting his teeth and standing up, then they reached back to draw their swords.

Wu Xian jumped forward and knocked the servant down.

He used his uninjured hand to hook the assistant's arm to prevent him from drawing his sword, but his other hand was still powerless. The assistant was now somewhat sober and struggled to push Wu Xian away.

Wu Xian opened his mouth without hesitation, bit his opponent's throat, and then shook his head and tore at it frantically.

A mouthful of sharp white teeth tore the flesh of the throat, blood spurted out, and the fishy smell was pungent. The servant yelled twice, stretched out his hands and scratched around, and inserted his fingers into the wound on Wu Xian's shoulder. Wu Xian twitched all over in pain, but his upper and lower rows of teeth did not loosen at all.

Not long after, the servant's movements slowed down. From the wound Wu Xian had bitten, a hissing sound was heard, and large bubbles of blood began to spurt out.

Wu Xian vomited twice, opened his mouth, and raised his head. He looked at the dying face in front of him, pulled out the short knife that the two had been fighting for, and stabbed it into the wound on his throat.

When the knife pierced his neck, the servant kicked his feet hard several times and died.

Wu Xian snorted and sneered a few times, stood up shakily, and went behind the cliff.

He was so familiar with the terrain of this mountainous area that every time he walked a few dozen steps, the direction of his vision would suddenly change, allowing him to see a mountain stronghold while ensuring his own safety.

If we are lucky, the Mongolian army should have arrived. Brothers in the village, please die for a while, and let me see how the Mongolians broke into the village one after another...

What fell into Wu Xian's eyes was the violently rising flames, and what filled his eardrums was the huge roar of the explosion.

"Iron cannon?" Wu Xian was shocked: "How could the Mongols have an iron cannon?"

(End of this chapter)