My Sims of the Eastern Jin Dynasty

That night, in a desolate bay north of Qu County.

The tide was rising quietly, and the moonlight was obscured by thin clouds, letting through only a faint, hazy glow.

This place is far from the main wharf heavily guarded by Deng Jing, with only a few simple fishing piers extending into the water.

Around midnight.

Several ordinary fishing boats, taking advantage of the tide and the darkness, silently glided into one of the piers.

The boat collided with the wooden stakes, making a very slight impact sound, but was quickly submerged in the tide.

A dozen or so dark figures leaped nimbly from the boat and quickly disappeared into the shadows of fishing nets and wooden frames piled up behind the pier.

A moment later, at the end of the pier, a small orange torch suddenly lit up.

It burned steadily for less than three breaths before suddenly going out.

The brief changes in light and dark are extremely difficult to notice unless one is deliberately looking at them against the vast backdrop of darkness.

About a mile away, behind a group of dark reefs jutting out of the sea.

Chen Jiao's sharp gaze was fixed on the direction of the dock.

The moment the flame flickered and went out, his tense body relaxed slightly, and he quickly turned his head to whisper to Han Yong beside him.

"Brother Han, the people inside have succeeded. This section of the dock is temporarily clear."

Han Yong loosened his grip on the hilt of the knife slightly, nodded, and remained expressionless.

Without wasting words, he turned around and gave a simple and powerful forward gesture to the dozens of veterans of Beifu who were crawling among the rocks.

The once silent rocky beach came to life in the next instant.

About twenty small fishing boats and sampans that had been hidden in various rock crevices and shallow bays were quickly launched.

The figures moved swiftly and methodically, with only the faint sound of the boat breaking through the shallow water.

Han Yong and Chen Jiao quickly boarded a slightly larger fishing boat.

The small fleet, no longer concealing its tracks, rowed swiftly towards the dock where the signal had just been displayed.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the fleet had already approached the dock.

On the pier, the dozen or so shadowy figures who had previously infiltrated reappeared, warily watching their surroundings.

The boat quickly docked, and the people on board leaped onto the pier. With swift movements, nearly a hundred elite armed personnel had assembled in this remote fishing port in the blink of an eye.

Chen Jiao quickly exchanged a few words with a man who looked like a leader on the pier, and the man reported in a low voice.

"I've scouted it all. The night patrol just passed by half an hour ago, and the next patrol won't be for another hour. The fishing families nearby are all locals, so they're tight-lipped. There's an abandoned fish warehouse two alleys down there; it's a large and secluded place."

Han Yong nodded: "Lead the way, everyone, follow closely and keep quiet."

The group quickly left the dock and quietly disappeared into the chaotic alleys outside Qu County.

At this moment, the largest salt field is located north of the city.

Xu Xianzhi lay prone behind a waist-high embankment of a braised water canal. He looked up at the night sky, and the position of the stars clearly told him that the appointed time was approaching, but the communication signal agreed upon by Han Yong had not yet risen in the direction of the county town.

A hundred paces ahead, the largest warehouse on the edge of the salt field was brightly lit, a stark contrast to the surrounding darkness.

Twisted figures swayed in the window, accompanied by savage laughter, the clatter of shattering cups and plates, and the intermittent, hoarse, and heartbreaking cries of a woman.

What puzzled Xu Xianzhi was the current defense situation. During the daytime reconnaissance, there were at least two hundred people in this area, including sentries and patrols, which was in line with the configuration of a key location.

But at this moment, the vigilance in sight was noticeably looser, the intervals between the patrol torches were longer, and the number of sentry posts seemed to have decreased. All told, there were no more than a hundred people exposed.

"The reduced number of guards... means there might be more troops inside the city than expected... Has Deng Jing withdrawn more forces back into the city? Or is this just a facade, with even more people hiding in the shadows?"

This thought sent a chill down Xu Xianzhi's spine.

If the city has a strong military presence, Han Yong's infiltration team will face even more Xianbei people.

But what if the salt field in front of us is a trap...?

Time slipped away slowly amidst suffocating anxiety.

There was no word from Han Yong, but the atrocities at the saltworks continued every minute.

Xu Xianzhi could almost hear the heavy breathing of the veterans around him, especially the increasingly suppressed anger in the eyes of the salt farmers under Chen Jiao's command.

Can't wait any longer!

Regardless of whether Han Yong's side encounters obstacles, progresses smoothly, or encounters unexpected events, the current situation must be broken!

Attacking the salt fields and creating enough chaos would be the best support for Han Yong's actions, and would also force Deng Jing to divide his troops, relieving the pressure on the county town.

As for the risks...

Xu Xianzhe took a deep breath of the salty, fishy night air, and the last trace of hesitation in his eyes was replaced by determination.

He turned his head slightly and whispered to the deputy general Han Yong had left behind, who was standing right next to him.

"No time to wait! The situation has changed; delay could lead to further complications. Send the order for a swift and decisive victory. Take over the warehouse ahead as quickly as possible, create maximum chaos, and then evacuate to the coast along the designated route!"

The lieutenant's face twitched slightly, but he offered no questions or dissuasion.

He simply nodded heavily, then let out a muffled "hmm".

He then drew the well-maintained ring-pommel sword from his waist, tore off a spare piece of coarse linen from his waist, and quickly wrapped the sword hilt tightly around his right hand.

Behind him, the remaining veterans, like a pack of wolves receiving a command, almost simultaneously performed the same actions: drawing their swords and wrapping them around the hilts.

Immediately afterwards, they picked up the large, leather-covered wooden shield that had been lying at their feet, leaned forward slightly, bent their knees, and held the shield diagonally in front of them.

There was no pre-battle rousing, no loud shouts, but a strong killing intent had already spread.

On the other side, Chen Jiao's men also saw what these veterans were doing.

These men, who came from salt-producing families, did not wear iron armor. Most of them wore only short tunics or leather armor for easy movement. However, they all held homemade hunting bows in their hands. They quickly stood up, crouched down, and split into three groups. They followed the veterans' shield formation about thirty paces behind without making a sound. Using the terrain as cover, they began to move forward, and arrows were already quietly nocked on the bowstrings.

Xu Xianzhe's heart was pounding in his chest, but he forced himself to calm down, his gaze fixed on the lights of the warehouse ahead and the shadowy figures of the sentries moving around the perimeter.

He also gripped a short crossbow tightly in his hand, which Han Yong insisted he keep for self-defense.

"Let's do it!"

The veteran soldiers with swords and shields at the front row suddenly pushed off the ground, maintaining a tight shield formation, and accelerated rapidly, silently and swiftly rushing towards the barricades and sentry posts on the outskirts of the salt field!

Meanwhile, the archers behind them had already fired their arrows.

The night raid was launched unexpectedly and decisively!

The Xianbei sentry outside the warehouse turned his head in a drunken stupor. Before he could even cry out in alarm, seven or eight sharp arrows accurately pierced his throat and eye sockets!

The scream was choked in its throat.

"Enemy attack—!"

A distorted roar finally erupted from inside the warehouse.

But these well-trained veterans were faster; their shield formations didn't stop and slammed into the warehouse door!

Wood chips flew everywhere, and the door was opened very easily.

Blades flashed from between the shields, and in the chaos, the kidnapped women cried out as they scrambled and crawled toward corners or doors.

The archers had already seized advantageous positions, and a rain of arrows began to cover the Xianbei soldiers who were trying to rush out of the side rooms.

The battle broke out suddenly and fiercely.

The veterans, in groups of three, steadily strangled each other back to back, their swords and shields working in perfect coordination, leaving a trail of blood and flesh in their wake.

The archers in the salt fields focused their attacks on those carrying torches and soldiers attempting to blow horns to relay orders.

In less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, the core area of ​​the warehouse had been cleared.

The fire also began to spread...