New Song Dynasty: My Wife is an Imperial Princess

The two were enjoying their drinks when someone rushed in from outside the tent.

Seeing that it was the scout he had sent out who had returned to the camp, and wanting to whisper something in his ear, Zhuo Luwang immediately waved his hand and said, "The Fourth Prince is no longer an outsider. You may speak frankly about any latest developments."

The spy bowed and accepted the order, then revealed his findings: "I have been staking out the Yanshan Mountain pass for several days and discovered that their warehouses are now full. It seems they will be transporting the goods back to Youzhou City tomorrow. If we intend to make a move, tonight is the best time."

“Very good.” Zhuo Luwang slammed his hand on the table, his face full of excitement. “Originally, I would definitely not have dared to take action now if I were alone, but with the help of the Fourth Prince, it would be a piece of cake to consume this batch of raw materials.”

Wanyan Aru also revealed a knowing smile: "It seems that Prince Zhuolu has been scheming for a long time. Since you are so confident, then I will lend you a hand."

As the two horn cups collided violently in mid-air, the two men exchanged a glance, laughed heartily, and then drank the remaining wine in their cups in one gulp.

Wanyan Aru put down his wine cup and strode out of the tent. Zhuo Luwang stared intently at the departing figure until he completely disappeared outside the tent before revealing a slightly venomous smile: "Actually, I have a fourth plan. Perhaps in the future, you will be able to witness me use it."

Completely unaware of Zhuo Luwang's deep scheming, Wanyan Aru immediately mounted his horse and returned to camp after leaving the tent. He summoned his personal guard leader and whispered a few words to him.

The guards obeyed and left, while Wanyan Aru remained seated in his military tent.

As per Zhuo Luwang's plan, their personal guards joined forces and bypassed Youzhou from the west of the city to enter Yanshan. They were expected to reach Wanyan Xi's glass mine by 9 PM tonight, eliminate the guards in the mountain valley, quickly load the goods onto carts, and disappear into Yanshan by tomorrow morning.

He did not intend to withdraw from Youzhou according to Zhuo Luwang's plan, but instead continued to stay there and wait for news.

He would go into the city after dawn to properly comfort the two sisters. He just liked seeing them clearly loathe him, yet unable to get rid of him.

As soon as Zhuo Luwang and Wanyan Aru gave their orders, their camp immediately became lively. A force of eight hundred men quickly assembled and marched westward along the outer city wall of Youzhou, the continuous sound of hooves stirring up a cloud of dust.

On the city tower of the North Gate, Tang Qian, dressed in blue, stood with his hands behind his back. Witnessing this scene, he couldn't help but sigh, "The Jurchen cavalry is indeed valiant." He then called over Tang Xiaoqi beside him, gave him a few simple instructions, and Xiaoqi, without saying a word, simply nodded slightly, turned around, and leaped down the steps from the city tower. His figure disappeared into the alleyways of the city like lightning.

As the reddish-orange sun slowly sank below the horizon in the west, the sky above Youzhou City was gradually shrouded in a black curtain. A few lights were lit, the city gates were closed, and the curfew quietly began.

In the stillness of the night, the 800-strong cavalry set off towards the Yanshan Mountains at top speed under the cover of darkness.

Zhuo Luwang and Wanyan Aru's personal guards were all elite soldiers selected from the best of the best. The night raid on Wanyan Xi's mine was a piece of cake. They arrived at the designated location at the designated time, and the eight hundred guards dismounted and entered the mountain. Led by the spies, they quickly hid on the outskirts of the mountain valley.

Several bonfires were lit in the valley, presumably the princess's guards stationed there gathered together to keep warm. With the enemy in the open and us in the dark, this gave them an excellent opportunity to launch a sneak attack.

Several leaders gathered together to assign their respective tasks. After the discussion, one of the captains, who was responsible for dealing with the hidden sentry on the mountaintop, waved to his subordinates and then climbed towards the sentry's location.

After a rather long wait, the leaders who remained at the foot of the mountain indeed saw several lights flickering and swaying around a few times, which was a signal that their side had succeeded.

Without the last layer of defense, dealing with the few soldiers in the mountain pass was like cutting melons and vegetables. Several leaders immediately drew their long swords and swung them fiercely, and hundreds of guards dressed in Song Dynasty attire rushed into the mountain pass without encountering any resistance.

Before the guards of the princess's residence could even see who was coming, they were all forced to flee into the mine tunnels, blocking the exits and daring not to show their faces.

With just one wave of attack, they seized the entrance to the mine. Zhuo Luwang's personal guard leader, Wulinda, immediately ordered his men to quickly load the goods onto the trucks. Wanyan Aru's men were not to be outdone. The two groups, who had just been close brothers, immediately became rivals vying for the spoils.

Wulinda took the lead and rushed into the warehouse first. At the same time, Aliban, the leader of Wanyan Aru's personal guard, followed closely behind. Their torches flickered in front of them, and sure enough, they saw that the huge warehouse was full of minerals that were as transparent as crystal.

"Quickly, bring the wagon over. Leave a few people to keep watch at the entrance of the ravine, and the rest of you come in and move the ore."

At Wulinda's command, more than 400 guards immediately formed more than a dozen lines and began loading ore onto the carts. Their orderly manner clearly indicated that they had rehearsed the operation beforehand.

Seeing that he was about to fall behind, Aliban immediately ordered his subordinates to follow suit. Although they were a step behind, Wanyan Aru's personal guard was no pushover. With the close cooperation of more than twenty teams, the ore piled up in the warehouse was reduced at a visible rate.

After two hours of busy work, all the carriages left in the valley were loaded, and Wulinda waved his hand again: "Withdraw."

Immediately, he rushed out of the ravine and was about to send his subordinates back to report that he had succeeded when something suddenly came flying through the darkness and struck him directly in the chest.

With a "thud," Wulinda felt a sharp pain in his chest. Looking down, he saw that an arrow had pierced his chest, and blood slowly seeped out, staining his coarse linen clothes red.

Just as his subordinates were at a loss, a row of torches suddenly lit up on the mountaintop, followed by a barrage of arrows like a storm. Caught off guard, groans of pain rose and fell. After just one volley, the valley was transformed into a hellish place filled with screams of agony.

Even though the enemy had long since lost their fighting ability, Sahelie, the commander of the left army of Youzhou, seemed to have no intention of giving up.

"The Song soldiers launched a night attack on Youzhou in an attempt to plunder, but by order of the commander, they were to be killed without mercy."

As soon as the military order was issued, the screams from the mountain valley rang out again, startling the birds that had just returned to their nests into flight once more. The screams continued for more than half an hour before gradually subsiding.