Chapter 271: Turning Point

Tian Strategy Army!

Behind the counter, soldiers of the Tian Strategy Army, clad in black armor, continuously emerged from a secret passage. One, two, ten, twenty, and still they kept coming.

Some armored soldiers, finding the counter in the way, used their plain knives to chop it into pieces.

Others, disliking the small size of the secret passage entrance, simply hacked at the wooden floor.

Several chops later, half the floor of the main hall collapsed, and the entrance, which had only allowed one person through at a time, widened, revealing more armored soldiers waiting inside.

The smooth scales of the Tian Strategy Army's armor reflected the light. The densely packed armored soldiers beneath the floor looked like a swarm of beetles, sending a wave of numbness through Chen Ji's scalp!

Zhang Zheng muttered, "So many."

The innkeeper of Longmen Inn hadn't lied; there really was a secret passage leading out of the city. But this passage was no longer a road to life, but a dead end.

By this time, the Tian Strategy Army armored soldiers who had already emerged onto the ground charged towards the stairs. In the main hall, the Yulin Army roared "Protect Your Highness," drew their waist swords, and guarded the front of the stairs!

Chen Ji stood on the stairs, in a dilemma of whether to advance or retreat. He turned back, leading Zhang Xia, Chen Wen Zong, and the others to run upstairs. Kicking open a room on the second floor, they rushed inside!

Inside the room, Chen Li Qin and Liang Di's faces changed. "Chen Ji? What's with the shouting and killing outside?"

Chen Wen Zong said urgently, "Father, the Jing Dynasty bandits are killing their way up from downstairs."

Chen Li Qin was startled. "I saw them only killing in Xuwei Lane; how did they get here?"

Saying this, he looked towards Chen Ji, but Chen Ji had no time to pay attention to him!

Chen Ji walked to the front of the window and said, "Zhang Xia, Zhang Zheng, I'll send you down from the backyard stairs to leave!"

Before he finished speaking, he saw the scene outside the window and was suddenly stunned in place!

Zhang Xia came to his side. Looking out through the newly opened window, they saw only Xiao Wu, carrying a vegetable knife, covered in blood, limping out of the stable. He waved his hand towards Chen Ji on the second floor, his voice hoarse and strained, saying, "Guest officer!"

Chen Ji was silent. The 'black-eating-black' at Longmen Inn was real, and this secret passage inside the stable was also real!

The next moment, more Tian Strategy Army armored soldiers emerged from the stable. They didn't chase after Xiao Wu, but immediately completely surrounded the inn to prevent the prince's escape!

Chen Jian Xiao rushed in from next door. He stammered, "Father, this!!! Where did these armored soldiers pop out from?"

Zhang Xia looked at Chen Ji and said, "These people clearly know the prince is here; someone must have informed them!"

I haven't seen the innkeeper since last night. Perhaps he is the biggest Jing Dynasty spy!

Zhang Zheng said anxiously, "That's not right. Earlier, he was the one who told us that the staff of Yang Family Fur Shop and Liuli Workshop were spies. If he is a Jing Dynasty spy, why would he tell us this?"

Run quickly, run! The Jing Dynasty bandits are coming.

Chen Ji calmly said, "No, this news was given by Xiao Wu, not the innkeeper!"

Second Miss Zhang is right; the innkeeper must have run off to tip them off. Even Xiao Wu was kept in the dark!

Chen Jian Xiao hurriedly said, "Chen Ji, aren't you an official? Go out quickly and help the Yulin Army fight the enemy!"

Zhang Xia coldly glared at Chen Jian Xiao, then looked at Chen Ji. "Kill your way out and hide in the cellar! You can escape by yourself, but you absolutely cannot escape with us!"

Chen Jian Xiao was anxious. "No, Father and Elder Brother are still here. How can he leave?"

Zhang Xia angrily said, "The Jing Dynasty promised not to slaughter the city. Hu Jun Xian only promised to open the gates and surrender the city! Now the Jing Dynasty has broken its faith and abandoned justice. Someone inside Gu Yuan city must return to the Central Plains and announce to the world that the Jing Dynasty has broken its faith and abandoned justice. This way, our Ning Dynasty will no longer have matters of opening the gates and surrendering the city."

Chen Wen Zong was startled. "Second Miss Zhang speaks reasonably. This is a matter of state and family. Chen Ji, go quickly. You must return to the capital alive and report this matter to the court."

Everyone looked at Chen Ji, yet discovered he was untying the cloth strip wrapped around his whale knife!

Chen Ji listened to the shouting and killing outside, and calmly said, "Xiao Man, the matter I left to you back then, don't let them kill their way in from the window!"

Xiao Man pursed her lips and hesitated for a moment. "Young Master, did you already know, and were just teasing me?"

Zhang Zheng chuckled, "You're not very good at hiding either!"

Xiao Man glared at him. "You can still laugh now?"

Saying this, she took out a small, exquisite silver scissors from her sleeve, squatted down, and cut towards the ground. Yet, they saw she actually cut off a shadow from the air, and that shadow struggled and expanded!

Gradually, the shadow grew into a body like a sheep with a human face. A gaping maw stretched from its left armpit to its right armpit, and its four hooves were adorned with curling black fur, like four black auspicious clouds!

The Liang family saw this monster and retreated in fright. She hadn't expected that the third-class maid in her own family was actually hiding an official.

Chen Ji turned and walked towards the outside of the room. Zhang Xia pulled him and whispered, "Chen Ji, no one in this inn is worth saving. You still need to live to go see the county lord."

Chen Ji calmly said, "Gu Yuan may not be lost!"

Zhang Xia was startled. "You mean Hu Jun Xian..."

Chen Ji lowered his head in thought. He didn't understand Hu Jun Xian and Zhou You, but he understood Jing Wang and Bai Long!

That Jing Wang harbored grand plans and undertakings but suffered from a terminal illness. He was unwilling to die just like that, so he laid out a plan for several years, using his own death to make a complete spectacle!

That Bai Long was ruthless and cunning, almost demonic. Chen Ji didn't believe the Jing Dynasty could rely solely on burning grain stores to break Bai Long's scheme!

Chen Ji looked at Zhang Xia. "What is the Tian Strategy Army famous for?"

Zhang Xia replied, "The Tian Strategy Army excels at horsemanship and archery. Their long-distance raids are the best in the world. They are jointly called the world's cavalry with the Jing Dynasty's Hu Jing Army and Hu Bao Qi!"

Chen Ji asked again, "How can the Tian Strategy Army be severely damaged?"

Zhang Xia shook her head. "Very difficult! Even in the battle of Qu Wu Mountain before, only three-tenths of the Tian Strategy Army were killed or injured! They retreated too quickly. After returning to the Jing Dynasty and reorganizing their army, they can return to the battlefield again, unless they are completely surrounded!"

She said up to here, then suddenly looked at Chen Ji. "You mean Hu Jun Xian intends to open the gates and surrender the city, leading the Tian Strategy Army into Gu Yuan city, using Gu Yuan as a cage? At this time, I fear over half of the Tian Strategy Army has already entered the city to kill. If there really is an ambush, the Tian Strategy Army will suffer heavy casualties and injuries, and will need to recuperate for at least several years!"

The shouting and killing outside shook the sky, while the room was dead silent. The crowd exchanged glances, a glimmer of hope rising in their hearts!

However, Chen Jian Zong beside them opened his mouth and said, "That's not right. Even if the Tian Strategy Army all enters the city, how can Hu Jun Xian kill so many of them? Relying on the border army wearing rattan armor, using rusty knives, and lacking bowstrings? Those border troops are only good for guarding the city; they are fundamentally no match for the Tian Strategy Army in a field battle!"

Chen Ji was silent. This was also his biggest doubt right now!

He naturally knew Bai Long was secretly manufacturing firearms, but he was very clear about the power of firearms in this era. The firearms they temporarily made were fundamentally insufficient to kill so many Tian Strategy Army soldiers!

Chen Ji looked at the crowd and asked, "Where are the armies in the Ning Dynasty that can contend with the Tian Strategy Army?"

Chen Li Qin said in a low voice, "The three great camps of the Imperial Front just fought a battle at Chong Li Pass; it's fundamentally impossible for them to appear here. This must be the confidence the Tian Strategy Army had in daring to launch a surprise attack on Gu Yuan!"

The hope that had just risen in the crowd's hearts was extinguished again!

At this moment, Chen Ji and Zhang Xia suddenly said in unison, "There is still one army!"

The two looked at each other, and Chen Ji carried his knife and turned towards the outside. "I'll go guard the stairs. You guard the window well. Perhaps there is still a turnaround."

Zhang Zheng puzzledly pulled Zhang Xia. "What riddle are you playing at? What is a turnaround?"

But Zhang Xia didn't answer, just watched Chen Ji's back as he went out!

The inn was already completely surrounded by Tian Strategy Army armored soldiers!

In the main hall, the thirty Yulin Army soldiers now only had five left. They were covered in blood, brandishing their swords in the middle of the stairs, retreating little by little towards the second floor!

The stairs were narrow, and the Tian Strategy Army armored soldiers could not win by numbers for a while!

The Yulin Army excitedly swung their swords on one side, roaring, "Come on, you sons of bitches, come up if you dare!"

In the middle of the main hall, an armored soldier as tall as an iron tower stood beside the counter and took off his helmet. Among all the soldiers, only he had a black pheasant tail inserted on his helmet!

They saw him as if nothing had happened, opening a jar of strong liquor and pouring it into his mouth. "Good wine."

Saying this, he swallowed another mouthful of wine and sprayed it on the heavy sword in his hands, using the hem of his clothes to wipe away all the bloodstains!

While wiping, his eyes didn't even glance at the Yulin Army on the stairs. He just calmly said, "They only have five people left. Can they still block my Tian Strategy Army? We can exchange our lives to take them down!"

Hearing these words, the Tian Strategy Army armored soldiers below the stairs looked at each other. They actually truly used the method of exchanging lives, disregarding their own lives as they charged upwards!

The first person's abdomen was pierced by a long sword through their armor. He actually let the long sword penetrate his body and chopped down at the Yulin Army soldier's head with his own large knife.

The Yulin Army unit had never seen such fierce fighting. Wanting to pull their sword out of the armored soldier's body, the sword blade was held dead by muscle and bone. Caught off guard, their head was chopped off!

In just a few breaths, the remaining five Yulin Army soldiers were swallowed up!

The Tian Strategy Army armored soldiers threw the corpses on the stairs down the stairs and lifted their legs, ready to rush upstairs!

However, just at this moment, footsteps sounded again from the end of the stairs!

The Tian Strategy Army armored soldiers looked up. One person stood, leaning on a knife!