Shaoyao descended from the rooftop. The Chao Li tribesmen immediately understood when they saw her and shouted loudly, "She's skilled in poison, be careful!"
But it was already too late. Without needing to consider the wind direction, Shaoyao leaped high and scattered poison powder across the sky. Simultaneously, Gu Yanxi struck, his long whip coiling around her waist and pulling her behind him.
Shaoyao also wielded a long whip. Knowing her martial skills couldn't compare to others, she specifically targeted those already injured. Striking unexpectedly, she ended up killing the most enemies—after all, only her whip was equipped with barbs.
The poisoned Chao Li tribesmen wanted to end the battle quickly, but the Seven Constellation Bureau wouldn't engage them head-on at this point. They immediately switched to guerrilla tactics, dragging out the fight until the last Chao Li tribesman fell as dawn began to break.
Shaoyao was somewhat exhausted, her hands trembling slightly. Without ceremony, she plopped down and didn't move.
Despite being poisoned by her and facing the elite Seven Constellation Bureau, the enemy had held out for so long. Shaoyao felt a sense of bewilderment—would the Daqing army be cut down like vegetables against such foes?
Even if she supplied every military camp with poison, if the combat capability gap was too wide, it would have limited effect!
She looked up at Yan Ge beside her. "The troops can't stop them."
Gu Yanxi remained silent, unsure what to say. In the face of sheer strength, words were useless. When he saw Wang Hai approaching with red-rimmed eyes, his heart sank further.
"Master, the Seven Constellation Bureau has nine severely wounded, twenty-seven... dead. Everyone else is injured."
Gu Yanxi, who also had several wounds himself, hadn't felt the pain before, but now it seemed to ache everywhere. Twenty-seven dead—he had only brought seventy-nine people total. Such heavy casualties—how many twenty-sevens could the Seven Constellation Bureau afford?
Shaoyao's lips moved, but she ultimately stayed silent. Pushing herself up from the ground, she went to perform her duties as a physician. She couldn't help the lightly wounded, but she had to save the lives of the severely injured—as long as they were alive, that was what mattered.
After a long moment, Gu Yanxi finally spoke. "How many were on the enemy side?"
"Including the later reinforcements, sixty-eight total. Forty-one dead, the rest still alive."
Seventy-nine surrounding sixty-eight—though more enemies died, they clearly had the numerical advantage, and the reinforcements arrived later. This demonstrated the enemy's combat capability was no worse than the Seven Constellation Bureau's. If they faced ordinary soldiers...
Gu Yanxi closed his eyes, not daring to think further. If he did, Daqing might not last many more days. "Such a huge commotion, yet no one came to investigate. Send someone to ask if the Songzhu County Magistrate is deaf or dead."
"Yes."
As he was about to speak further, a rider galloped up. "Master, as you predicted, ships started moving at the dock at dawn. Yu Mu has already taken people to follow them."
Gu Yanxi hadn't expected their side to have been exposed. Leaving Yu Mu to watch the dock was just a precaution in case anyone escaped to track their direction. Now it seemed the enemy had clearly prepared two strategies. "How many ships moved?"
"Six!"
"What about their draft conditions?"
"Four ships had deep drafts."
Gu Yanxi turned to look at his subordinates tending to their comrades. "Those with minor injuries, come with me."The members of the Seven Constellation Bureau gathered without hesitation. Gu Yanxi scanned them one by one and singled out several whose wounds were still bleeding. "Stay behind. Wang Hai, take half the men and follow Yu Mu by boat. Keep close to the four heavily laden ships. The other half will follow me by land."
"Yes."
The horses were procured by Dai Chun, who also brought along a man with a slight limp. "Sir, this is Liu Ming. He spent a few years in the mountain stronghold in his youth and knows this area extremely well. Having him guide us will save time."
Gu Yanxi naturally understood what "stronghold" referred to. He glanced at the man and asked, "Can you ride?"
Liu Ming nodded, instinctively hiding his shorter foot slightly behind the other.
"Take us by the shortest route."
Liu Ming remained silent and looked directly at Dai Chun, clearly trusting him more than Gu Yanxi.
Dai Chun felt somewhat awkward and explained in a low voice, "I once helped him with a minor favor..."
"You saved my life. That’s no minor favor."
Gu Yanxi raised a hand to stop them from continuing. "Set off immediately."
"Yes." Dai Chun shot the man a meaningful look, urging him to mount up quickly and avoid further irrelevant talk.
Liu Ming indeed had some skill. The path he led them on was clearly seldom traveled. Except for a short stretch where they had to slow down, they were able to maintain speed for most of the journey, managing to reach the destination before the boats arrived.
"Reward him generously with silver." Gu Yanxi tossed out these words hastily before spurring his horse away. This was the harbor where the Yuan River flowed into the East Sea, and a dock was established here. If Sun Qi were to make any deployments, this would likely be the place.
Sure enough, he spotted people not far ahead. The garrison soldiers guarding the pass wore uniforms distinct from other military camps—their collars and cuffs were trimmed in blue, and the tassels on their helmets were also blue, making them easily recognizable.
The soldiers noticed their group as well, and several immediately approached. "Military affairs are being handled here. Unauthorized personnel, please leave."
"I am the commander of the Seven Constellation Bureau. Where is General Sun?"
The young officer looked at him in surprise but dared not refuse. Cupping his hands respectfully, he said, "Please wait here. I will fetch the general at once."
Gu Yanxi felt no displeasure at the slight delay. If the garrison soldiers lacked such vigilance, he would have been concerned.
Catching sight of Sun Qi approaching from a distance, Gu Yanxi dismounted and stepped forward to salute. "General Sun."
Sun Qi returned the gesture with a clasped fist. This was his first time seeing the Seven Constellation Bureau commander without his mask, though he already knew his identity from received intelligence. On closer inspection, the man’s face did bear some resemblance to the Heir in his youth.
"Has something changed, for you to come in person, sir?"
"Six ships departed from Songzhu Wharf early this morning. I suspect their vessel is among them, attempting to slip away under cover."
Sun Qi understood immediately. "So you’re worried the silver might escape, and you’ve timed it to be almost here?"
"Most likely."
"I’ve been guarding against them fleeing from here. Don’t worry—they won’t get away."
"I have full confidence in your assurance, General Sun."
"General!" A young officer jogged over. "Ships are approaching up ahead."
"How many?"
"Two."
The two men exchanged a glance. Sun Qi gave the order: "Move in."
"Yes."Gu Yanxi stood on the dock, watching several small boats speeding out. The people on board stood steadily while casting flying hooks, followed by successive splashes as many dove into the water. When they surfaced for air, they had already reached the underside of the boats, then plunged down again with a powerful dive. Gu Yanxi understood their intention.
Meanwhile, the flying hooks were launched—this time aimed at the sails. Some tore entire sails clean off, while the least effective still managed to rip them into tattered halves.
PS: Wishing everyone a minute-early Happy New Year! May all your wishes for 2018 come true—though perhaps don’t wish for eight or ten extra chapters! Seeking guaranteed monthly votes at the start of the month.
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