Reborn and returned, sisters swapped

Chapter 167 Everyone on Alert

At this moment, an elderly refugee whispered, "Our General He... if he were still alive, how could Hesha City have fallen into such a state?"

His voice was choked with emotion, and his eyes shone with nostalgia for the heroes of yesteryear.

Upon hearing this, the scout's heart stirred. He looked up and casually picked up the conversation: "Yes... that indomitable general saved so many people in his early years."

He spoke tentatively, his tone flat, neither abrupt nor attention-grabbing.

The people nearby exchanged glances; some sighed softly, others shook their heads, seemingly not intending to say anything more.

However, another middle-aged man couldn't help but add in a low voice: "General He is gone, but our General Zhao has not given up."

I heard he's still active in the city, but everyone's on edge these days, and nobody dares to say much.

As soon as he finished speaking, he realized he had misspoke, immediately shut his mouth, lowered his head, and said no more.

Seeing this, the scout continued in a low voice without showing any emotion: "I have also heard about General Zhao. His courage and wisdom are admirable."

It's a pity that even loyal ministers and generals have to hide in Hesha City now; it's truly heartbreaking..."

He deliberately revealed a hint of disappointment in order to gain the other party's trust.

Upon hearing these words, the old man next to him sighed deeply and lowered his guard.

He slowly said, "General Zhao is indeed still alive. It is said that he sometimes appears in the area south of the city."

Someone saw him in that abandoned tavern, but it was only a fleeting glimpse, and no one could be sure.

If he is truly working tirelessly for us, it is for the last hope of this city.

Having obtained this clue, the scout secretly kept it in mind.

But he maintained the appearance of a down-and-out vagrant, nodding silently and sighing softly, without asking any further details.

He knew that appearing too eager would only arouse their suspicion.

He remained silent for a while, listening to the murmurs of the refugees, before quietly getting up and shuffling towards the south of the city, a faint glimmer of hope igniting in his heart.

After walking along the desolate streets for a while, he finally came to an abandoned tavern.

The tavern's doors and windows were dilapidated, and a thick layer of dust covered the stone steps at the entrance. A faint candlelight shone from inside, flickering dimly.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement, and carefully pushed open the half-closed door.

The scout cautiously and gently knocked on the door.

Zhao Lingfeng had already planted spies, and upon seeing the familiar code, he quickly opened the door and led the scout inside.

Zhao Lingfeng looked slightly haggard, but his eyes held calmness and determination.

He listened carefully to Bai Nishang's message and a relieved smile appeared on his face.

"As expected, Ni Chang did not disappoint us," Zhao Lingfeng said in a low voice, his eyes gleaming with wisdom.

He quickly organized the intelligence that had been received.

He said to the scout, "Tell Bai Nishang that the main force of the Black Rock Alliance is stationed at the east gate of the city. They are heavily guarded, but the southwest corner is relatively weak."

If she can create a disturbance outside the city, I will incite the civilians and remaining soldiers inside the city to stir up trouble, disrupt the enemy's defenses, and buy her an opportunity for a surprise attack.

After completing the task assigned by Zhao Lingfeng, the scout was well aware of the dangers of sneaking out of Hesha City.

He first found a tattered burlap cloak, covered himself with it, and then smeared mud on his face to disguise himself as a disheveled vagrant.

He exuded an aura of exhaustion and despair.

To better conceal his identity, he deliberately wiped some dust and oil stains off his clothes, making them look like they hadn't been washed for a long time.

They looked just like the homeless people in the city.

Before setting off, he carefully observed the patrol patterns of the soldiers in the city.

He discovered that the defenses at the east gate were more stringent, while those at the southwest corner were relatively lax.

However, the area is mainly frequented by soldiers and some civilians, and the patrolling Blackrock soldiers usually only conduct one round of patrols every half hour.

He noted down the patrol team's time difference, preparing to seize the opportunity to act during a gap in the patrol.

The scout began his operation, maintaining a slow and cautious pace, blending into the scattered crowd, and gradually approaching the southwest corner along the alley.

As he passed several outposts, he kept his head down and slightly hunched his back to avoid eye contact with the soldiers.

When the patrolling soldiers approached, he pretended to be searching for food in the ruins, crouching down and wrapping some rubble in a rag.

Pretend to be trash picked up from the roadside, acting as if completely unaware of everything around you.

As he approached the southwest corner exit, he looked up at the collapsed wall and the dimly lit alleyway above him and found that no one was guarding the way.

He quickly seized the opportunity to leap over the low wall, landed lightly, and rolled away, disappearing completely into the shadows under the cover of darkness.

After passing a section of abandoned houses, he circled around to the shadow of the city wall and hurried along the rugged path, always staying out of the soldiers' sight.

After passing through a thicket of bushes, he finally reached a broken corner of the city wall, which had been destroyed by war and only a short section of low base remained, making it easy for him to climb.

He checked again to make sure no one was around, then carefully climbed the wall and, using tree branches and protruding rocks, nimbly slid out of Hesha City.

Outside were steep hillsides. He took a deep breath, adjusted his breathing, and under the cover of night, quickly descended the mountain, bypassed the enemy's watchtower, and headed straight for the jungle outside the city.

Along the way, the scouts kept looking back to check, and only after confirming that no Black Rock soldiers were following them did they feel relieved and continue to speed up their advance.

The darkness provided him with the best protection, and with the help of the faint starlight, he moved nimbly through the grass and trees, avoiding the various patrol posts.

After several hours of travel, he finally returned safely to Bai Nishang's camp and brought back Zhao Lingfeng's important intelligence intact.

After the scout finished relaying Zhao Lingfeng's message, Bai Nishang's brows relaxed slightly, revealing a hint of relief.

Night fell over the land, and Bai Nishang sat in her tent, the candlelight flickering weakly.

She stood before a rough wooden table, on which lay a map of Hersha City, with the east gate, southwest corner, and enemy outposts outlined in charcoal.

Bai Nishang placed one hand on the map, her gaze cold and stern, and whispered to her lieutenants beside her, outlining the plan.

"We will launch a feint attack on the east gate outside the city, the bigger the better."

She calmly gave instructions, pointing her finger at the East Gate, "Archers will use incendiary arrows to set fire to the bushes outside the East Gate, creating a sea of ​​fire to mislead the Blackrock soldiers into thinking we are about to launch a full-scale attack on the East Gate."

"Let the fire and smoke spread everywhere, the more chaotic the better." Her eyes gleamed with determination, as if she could already see the enemy army falling into panic.

A lieutenant immediately accepted the order, quickly withdrew, and began to gather the archers.

The archers adjusted their bowstrings and prepared their arrows, which were soaked in grease. The burning flames leaped in the darkness, like the impending battle.

A moment later, they lined up neatly in front of Bai Nishang, awaiting her command.

Bai Nishang continued to instruct: "The deputy general will lead a light cavalry unit to ambush behind the bushes outside the east gate. Once the fire is lit, they will quickly launch a feint attack, making the appearance of a fierce charge to attract the attention of the enemy's main force."

Your mission is not to attack the city, but to hold off the enemy.

The lieutenant responded firmly and then led the cavalry to quickly disappear into the night.

The night was as dark as ink. The lieutenant stood at the front of the troops, his expression resolute, his face appearing particularly stern in the shadow of his dark cloak.

He waved his hand, signaling the light cavalry behind him to prepare for battle.

Each light cavalryman was fully armed, wearing a dark cloak, and their warhorses were also wrapped in thick black cloth to prevent them from being spotted in the moonlight.

The camp was silent, save for the soft snoring of the warhorses echoing in the darkness.

"Remember, the fire is the signal. We must make the appearance of a strong attack to draw the enemy's attention, but we must not linger in battle!"

The lieutenant gave the order in a low voice, his tone conveying an unquestionable calmness and determination.

Each cavalryman nodded silently, their expressions revealing a hint of tension, but even more so, a firm belief in this feint attack.

The lieutenant gently raised his hand, signaling everyone to take cover.

He led his light cavalry stealthily along the path through the darkness, trying to avoid stepping on the dry grass and gravel to avoid making unnecessary noise.

The bushes ahead were faintly visible; that was the ambush location indicated by Bai Nishang.

They approached slowly and steadily, each person holding their breath and trying their best to conceal the movement of the horses.

The lieutenant led his men to hide behind the bushes one by one, his eyes sharp as knives in the night as he constantly surveyed the surroundings.

By the faint moonlight, he observed that the enemy troops near the east gate were gradually relaxing their vigilance, and most of the soldiers were focusing their attention on the area around the city gate.

They were clearly unaware of their infiltration.

Time passed slowly, but the lieutenant remained calm, his hand firmly on the reins, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.

Suddenly, he saw a cluster of firelight rise from the bushes at the east gate. Immediately afterward, flaming arrows pierced the night sky, igniting the bushes and sending flames soaring into the sky, with thick smoke billowing up.

"Charge!" the lieutenant shouted, and the light cavalry moved in response.

The warhorse leaped out of the bushes, kicking up dust, and in the firelight, it resembled a black whirlwind as it charged fiercely toward the east gate.

They brandished their spears and shouted deafening battle cries, seemingly intent on completely destroying the East Gate.

The thunderous sound of cavalry hooves echoed through the night sky, accompanied by raging flames, making it seem like a real siege army.

The enemy troops were thrown into chaos upon hearing the commotion and hastily assembled their forces in an attempt to halt their "attack."

Chaotic shouts came from the east gate as soldiers hurriedly raised their shields and formed ranks, attempting to defend against this sudden "attack."

The deputy general led the cavalry, shouting attack slogans as they charged forward.

However, after approaching a certain distance, they quickly turned around and retreated, creating the illusion of continuous attacks to hold back the enemy and prevent them from making any rash moves.

The light cavalry skillfully maneuvered their warhorses, shuttling back and forth without actually approaching the city gates, while maintaining a constant sense of pressure, keeping the enemy on edge and preventing them from dispersing their forces.

Every shout of battle and every feint attack they launched threw the enemy's defenses into greater disarray.

Thus, the feint attack by the deputy general and the light cavalry successfully tied down most of the enemy's forces.

Meanwhile, in the southwest corner not far away, Bai Nishang's elite troops were quietly preparing, waiting for the opportunity to break into Hesha City in one fell swoop.

Meanwhile, Bai Nishang quietly gathered her elite troops, dressed in black cloaks, crawling on the ground, and stealthily making their way towards the southwest corner of Hesha City.

She personally led the squad, avoiding enemy sentries and patrols, and under the cover of night, infiltrated into the shadows beside the city wall, quietly waiting for the opportunity to coordinate between the inside and outside.

Soon after, flames shot into the sky at the east gate.

Dozens of burning arrows arced through the air, their arrowheads whistling as they struck the bushes, instantly spreading flames.

The dry branches and leaves caught fire, and the raging flames illuminated half the sky, with thick smoke billowing up, alarming the Black Rock soldiers at the East Gate.

Seeing flames shooting into the sky outside the east gate, they assumed the enemy was launching a frontal attack on the city, hastily sounded the drums to warn the enemy, and urgently mobilized manpower for defense.

Under the cover of firelight, the ambushing light cavalry suddenly charged out, raising dust and the deafening sound of their hooves.