Chapter 826: Arrived by Scent

He subconsciously glanced at He Lingchuan, grateful for his eldest son's timely warning.

Pointing at the city gate, he ordered, "Reinforce it immediately!"

People quickly moved sandbags to barricade the gate from within.

As He Chunhua ascended the city gate tower, he asked, "Where are they from?"

"It's still unclear," Zhao Qinghe replied. "After we intercepted the intruders, we came up to investigate. We fired a few signal flares and saw enemy troops about two hundred paces away in the light."

The full picture became clear: the enemy had launched a night assault, sending a small team to infiltrate early and attempt to force open the city gates. Their covert operation failed after being exposed by the signal flares, so they abandoned subtlety and began a full-scale offensive.

By all accounts, their coordinated attack—arson at the official residence, assassination of the prefect, and sowing chaos—was perfectly executed. They should have already breached the city.

Unfortunately for them, He Chunhua had arrived in Blackwater City at precisely this critical moment.

In a twist of fate, the attackers' luck had run out against Grand Steward He.

From atop the city gate, He Chunhua saw a sprawling mass of enemy troops below. Torches stretched like an ocean, and a terrifying barrage of arrows rained down on the battlements.

He pulled his head back and turned to his eldest son:

"Chuan'er, what's your assessment?"

He Lingchuan had already finished his survey. "Over a thousand enemy soldiers, lightly armored. They only have two battering rams and no heavy siege weaponry. It appears they came via Red Cliff Road. The forward outposts must have been completely negligent, allowing an entire army to pass undetected."

North of Blackwater City, there was an outpost every twenty to thirty li. The fact that the enemy had reached the city walls without any warning from these outposts was a clear dereliction of duty.

"There are reinforcements as well," He Chunhua said, pointing to the winding trail of torches in the distance. "It seems they initially broke into smaller groups and are now arriving in waves."

"These are Andong people, my old adversaries," he added. "They've been quiet for many years, so you wouldn't recognize their armor."

"Oh?" He Lingchuan paused, surprised. "These are the Andong people?"

"They aim to reclaim the city and, in doing so, avenge their past defeat."

Twenty years ago, Blackwater City was under Andong control. He Chunhua fought several campaigns to annex it into the territory of the Kite Kingdom.

This accomplishment earned him his promotion to prefect.

Now, the Andong people had returned for revenge.

"Why pick now?"

"This is an opportune time," He Chunhua said, his expression grim. "The Great Kite Kingdom is in turmoil, and unusual occurrences have repeatedly been reported along Red Cliff Road."

He Lingchuan noted the word "repeatedly," realizing his father had long been aware of the changes in the Coiled Dragon Desert.

"Red Cliff Road?" he asked, surprised. "Are the Andong people also interested in Red Cliff Road and the Coiled Dragon Desert?"

"They're interested in something within the Coiled Dragon Desert," He Chunhua said casually. "Have you forgotten why Sun Fuping and Nian Songyu came to Blackwater City in the first place?"

Of course, they came for the Great Square Jar.

"Setting aside everything else, releasing the Three Corpse Worms from the jar would throw the enemy army into disarray. For military strategists, it's a secret to guaranteed victory, a magical weapon against foes." He Chunhua said gravely, "Now that something has happened in the Coiled Dragon Desert, these opportunists are likely stirring again, hoping to try their luck."

"Ah, I see!" He Lingchuan responded.

He wondered if He Chunhua had come with the same intention.

As the Andong troops rammed the gate, soldiers on the city wall began throwing down improvised explosives. These devices, sometimes called "melon mines" due to their watermelon-like appearance, packed a considerable punch when detonated. However, they were quite unstable and could even explode if accidentally stepped on.

Four or five were hurled down simultaneously from the battlements. None of the enemy soldiers dared to try and defuse them; they simply scattered, clutching their heads. A few thunderous explosions followed, damaging the battering ram's wheels.

Given its weight and the continuous volley of arrows from the gate, the enemy found it impossible to retrieve the ram immediately.

Observing this, He Chunhua descended to the ground level.

At that moment, Qiu Hu and his four companions returned, escorting two captives. One had dislocated arms, while the other's abdomen was brutally slashed open and bleeding profusely.

He Lingchuan recognized one of them as the burly man who had argued with the cook at Weicheng Inn a few days prior.

Now, however, his face was covered in blood, and he looked utterly dejected.

"What about the others?"

"Killed them."

He Lingchuan had asked for one live captive, but Qiu Hu had brought two. "The one with the belly wound is the leader. This bald man is his younger brother."

Time was of the essence, so Qiu Hu immediately relayed the information he had extracted: "The army outside the city gates is from Nie City in Andong. It consists of city guards and the West Prefecture Direct Command Army, totaling over three thousand troops, led by Nie City Prefect Liao Shan."

"Liao Shan sent two teams to infiltrate Blackwater City: one to assassinate Prefect Hu, and the other to secretly open Blackwater City's gates to allow the Andong forces in. So far, only one team succeeded."

"That team is still at large," He Lingchuan noted with a nod. "What else?"

"Last night, Liao Shan dispatched a hundred men to the center of the Coiled Dragon Desert."

The center of the Coiled Dragon Desert? The He father and son exchanged glances, realizing it likely meant the Coiled Dragon Ruins.

He Chunhua's suspicion was confirmed: the Andong people were also after the Great Square Jar.

Liao Shan was simultaneously sending troops to capture Blackwater City and dispatching others to seize the Great Square Jar. If they secured the jar first, Blackwater City would be easy to breach. Alternatively, if they took Blackwater City first, Red Cliff Road would fall completely under Andong control, giving them a significant strategic advantage to slowly explore the Coiled Dragon Desert.

"A clever strategy, indeed," He Chunhua sneered. "But one shouldn't be too greedy. Trying to achieve two major goals simultaneously often results in losing both."

Qiu Hu had also managed to extract information about the assailants who attacked Prefect Hu. However, the two captives knew nothing more.

The bald man suddenly knelt before He Chunhua. "My lord, save my brother's life, and we will serve you!"

His brother was bleeding profusely; if left untreated, he would soon die, even without an execution by Blackwater City forces.

"What further use are you to us?" He Chunhua asked blandly.

The bald man's eyes widened.

He had already revealed all the information he knew and couldn't think of anything else on the spot.

*Sigh*, he thought, *I should have held something back!*

Qiu Hu pressed a small knife to his neck, slowly drawing it across, while looking at He Lingchuan for a sign.

As fresh blood began to trickle to the base of the bald man's neck, He Lingchuan waved his hand. "Wait, keep them. Keep both of them."

A disciple from Rongshan immediately stepped forward to treat the other captive's wound.

The bald man instantly recognized the quality of the elixir and medicine being used; his brother's bleeding quickly stopped.

He Chunhua glanced at his eldest son but said nothing. The bald man, however, gratefully exclaimed, "Thank you, Young Master!"

"What's your name?"

"My surname is Zhou, Zhou Peng!" The bald man pointed to his unconscious brother. "This is my brother, Zhou Yao!"

He Lingchuan instructed, "Find Zhou Yao a clean cell. As for the murderers of Prefect Hu, Zhou Peng, you will assist in their search and identification. If you can atone for your crimes through meritorious service, both you and your brother will be spared."

Zhou Peng immediately agreed. Qiu Hu stepped forward, and with two audible clicks, reset both of his dislocated wrists.

Zhao Qinghe then assigned thirty more men to return to the city with Zhou Peng and pursue the murderers.

A thought stirred in He Lingchuan's mind.

He Chunhua's journey west carried significant objectives, no less crucial than suppressing the rebellion in the south. Yet, he had chosen to bring only Zhao Qinghe with him, leaving Wu Shaoyi, Zeng Feixiong, Uncle Hao, and others behind.

This clearly indicated that Zhao Qinghe was He Chunhua's most trusted confidant.