Chapter 237: Ambush

Even though Yan Liqiang and the other guards had stayed at the Hui Clan Gathering for the past two days, Liang Yijie never stopped thinking about the Blackwind Bandits even once.

Ever since that night when the Blackwind Bandits retreated, despite the fact that Liang Yijie never managed to follow them to ascertain their concrete foothold and location, he would dispatch guards every day to keep an eye out on the passable roads near the Hui Clan Gathering. It was just so that they could pay close attention on whether the Blackwind Bandits would make a cunning way around to them and set up a surprise ambush.

In reality, after the Blackwind Bandits retreated, they never showed any signs of going around the Hui Clan Gathering to continue their ambush again.

That priest from the Shatu Alliance’s Sacred Flame was dead. Aligujin was also dead. The Blackwind Bandits had suffered consecutive losses during their operations twice, thus resulting in heavy casualties. In this situation, the leaderless Blackwind Bandits’ ability to act would undoubtedly be greatly reduced. Perhaps their internal forces were already in disorder, which led to a lot of disputes.

Despite the fact that the Blackwind Bandits did not show up after Yan Liqiang and the others had left the Hui Clan Gathering, he was certain of one thing. The large troop of the Blackwind Bandits would definitely appear behind Sun Bingchen’s troops.

The next objective for Yan Liqiang and the others after leaving the Hui Clan Gathering was to reach Fengming City of Lan Province.

The linear distance between Fengming City and the Hui Clan Gathering was only about four hundred li away. Even though this distance did not seem to be long on a map, in reality, they would need to tramp over mountains and go through ravines, facing a tough journey in the wild. Even with their rhinodrake steeds, it would still take them three days in the wild just to reach Fengming City.

Yan Liqiang and the others had to go through an extremely rough path. The road ahead was vast, yet almost deprived of people as the wilderness surrounded them everywhere. Meanwhile, this road was also considered to be a territory where the Blackwind Bandits were allowed to wreak havoc. Once Yan Liqiang and the others passed Fengming City and forged east, the population would be greater and the area would be more bustling with cities, one after another. Garrisons were everywhere in the Great Han Empire and in these places, the Blackwind Bandits would not dare to enter. Because of this, if the Blackwind Bandits weren’t content and wished to go after Yan Liqiang and the other men, then it would only be possible for them to continue their pursuit on the road from the Hui Clan Gathering to Fengming City.

Since this point was made apparent, the trap that Yan Liqiang and others had to set up would obviously be on this road.

A place like this could be quickly found. That evening, when Yan Liqiang and the others left Hui Clan Gathering, a valley appeared in their view. When they were passing through the valley, Yan Liqiang continuously observed the ridges on both sides.

This valley didn’t seem as dangerous as Wolf Fang Valley. Even so, the valley in question also posed as a strategic pass for this very road. The valley’s gorge was less than a hundred meters at its widest and about twenty or thirty meters at its narrowest. There were rocks and overgrown weeds inside the gorge as well. On the other hand, the sides of the valley were filled with ridges of uneven heights. The ridges were completely bare too as they only had rocks, nothing else. The lowest point of the area was about five or six meters in height, whereas the highest point was about a hundred meters tall. One would definitely not be able to rush upwards while riding on a rhinodrake steed. Most people would find it difficult to climb upward bare-handed in a place like this.

As Yan Liqiang rode the rhinodrake steed toward the gorge, he glanced around for a while before squeezing his feet against his steed, rushing toward the middle of the troops to be side-by-side with Liang Yijie. Both of them exchanged glances while riding on their steeds. They already knew what the other had in mind.

“Brother Liang, let’s set up here. We will choose an area around here. If the Blackwind Bandits dare to pursue us, we will teach them a hard lesson and punish them!” Yan Liqiang said to Liang Yijie.

Liang Yijie nodded, “Let’s ask for Lord Sun’s opinion!”

“Alright!”

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Both of them then approached Sun Bingchen on their rhinodrake steeds.

Sun Bingchen was also observing the terrain and landform of this area. When he saw Yan Liqiang and Liang Yijie approaching on their steeds, he already knew what they wanted to ask him. Therefore Sun Bingchen immediately nodded his head before they could even open their mouths. “If we set up an ambush here, we will definitely have the topographical advantage. Just do whatever you want to do. We will find somewhere outside of the gorge to set up our camp. Prepare yourselves!”

Yan Liqiang and Liang Yijie nodded back in response.

Perhaps Yan Liqiang did not realize it himself, but Sun Bingchen’s dependence of him had gradually risen to the level comparable to that of Liang Yijie.

Since it was decided that they would set up an ambush in this area, the remaining matters were simple. There was only one thing to do, and that was to find a suitable place in this gorge to ambush their enemies. The conditions for choosing the ambush location were also simple. The first requirement was to find higher ground so that they could make use of the topological advantage to unleash maximum damage onto the pursuing Blackwind Bandits from an elevation. The second was that if the odds went against them, they could conveniently and immediately retreat. The Blackwind Bandits would not be able to catch up to them at once.

With these two requirements, Yan Liqiang and the others did not have to use too much effort to find a suitable ambush location in this valley.

The altitude from the ground of the valley was about eighty meters tall. If a human wished to scale the steep mountain walls on either of the two sides, it would essentially be an impossible feat even for a skilled climber, let alone for those riding on steeds. From Yan Liqiang’s perspective, if he wanted to climb over without relying on any tools, it would be very hard to do so.

The valley path had started winding and it was narrow. The bends and curves were about four to five li long. It would be a bit cramped if eight steeds were to walk on the pathway together. If they wanted to climb up the mountain ridges on the sides, they could only take a detour from the meandering valley through the back of the ridges before they could climb over.

Yan Liqiang and the others had set up their overnight camp on a hillside outside of the valley. After they were done setting up the tent, the remaining ten guards and ten wounded soldiers started a fire for cooking. Meanwhile, the other seven to ten people, including Sun Bingchen and Ye Tiancheng, got on their steeds once more and did a full circle toward the back of the ridges before leaving their steeds at the gully outside of the gorge. A few guards were assigned to look after the steeds while the others brought their equipment and climbed up the ridges. Everyone prepared themselves for the ambush and waited for the Blackwind Bandits to arrive.

Liang Yijie initially wanted Sun Bingchen to stay at the camp and not involve himself in the dangerous battle. However, Liang Yijie’s wish was overruled as Sun Bingchen said that he wanted to personally come and observe the situation.

Although Sun Bingchen decided to go, he naturally felt uneasy about leaving Ye Tiancheng at the camp. He feared that a minor accident might happen if he left him there, so he brought Ye Tiancheng along with him as it would be convenient to watch over him as well.

After everything had been set up, a group of them went to the top of the mountain ridge to find a sheltered area to rest. Covering their heads while eating dry rations, they weren’t allowed to light up fire or make loud noises. Every movement of theirs had to follow the orders that were given. Each one of them held their breaths, itching to take some action as they waited for the Blackwind Bandits to arrive.

The sky gradually became dark, yet the Blackwind Bandits were nowhere to be found. Yan Liqiang sat with his back against a rock as he took out his Horned Python Bow to tend to his bowstring.

The bowstring was made with the tendon of the Horned Python. Due to the nature of the bowstring, it was easy to take care of. One would only need to gently wipe the bowstring with a Horned Python’s meat and fat in order to maintain its tautness and buoyancy. In addition, one would not have to be afraid of the bowstring deteriorating even if it was exposed to water vapor.

Before he knew it, a young guard had managed to quietly shift to Yan Liqiang’s side. He sat beside him against the same rock. The guard asked Yan Liqiang a question with a voice filled with unconcealed and deep-seated hatred. “Guard Yan, tell me… will those Blackwind Bandits come?”

Yan Liqiang moved his gaze from the bowstring of his Horned Python Bow toward the inquisitive guard who had appeared in front of him. This guard was none other than Hu Haihe himself.