【The Divine Eagle Empire】(Volume 5, Chapter 5)

Volume 5, Chapter 5: A Guest Arrives

Wu Tianjiao followed Heilong and the others to a mountaintop. Looking down, everyone secretly groaned.

Perhaps because they had rescued Heilong at Shili Pavilion in Wudian City, the government troops couldn't report back to their superiors, or perhaps because

they were determined to conquer Heilong Village, four thousand-man reinforcements, a dark mass, rushed in from afar.

As soon as the reinforcements arrived, they launched their attack.

Five hundred-man squads charged on foot from the slopes on both sides of the valley.

Two thousand-man squads rushed straight into the valley.

On the top of the two slopes, Qiao Renjie led the left, and Luo Leiwen led the right.

Although there were only fifty soldiers guarding the top of the slopes, the steepness and distance

made the soldiers charging up the slopes easy targets. While powerful arrows were ineffective, the force of rolling stones and logs was immense. Before they even

reached halfway up the slope, the government troops had already lost dozens. Seeing the situation was dire, the commander quickly sounded the gong to call back

the soldiers who had been pushed back down the mountain.

In the valley, two thousand imperial cavalrymen, having just entered, were met with various traps and

attacks from the Black Dragon Stronghold bandits on the mountaintops on both sides. Having lost hundreds of soldiers, they reached the mountain path.

Looking at the steep cliffs on either side and the narrow path only a few feet wide in the middle, the imperial cavalry commander frowned

.

The commander, around thirty years old, was rather thin, clad in armor, and wielding a long spear.

After a careful observation, he gritted his teeth and ordered in a deep voice, "Archers, attack

the Black Dragon bandits on the cliffs with all your might! Don't give them a chance to fire! First team, second team, advance!"

With the sound of war drums, the battle began.

The imperial archers were extremely powerful; a single volley of arrows destroyed a stronghold on the cliff, and three

Black Dragon bandits screamed as they fell from the cliff face.

The attacking imperial cavalry dismounted and charged into the mountain path, shields in hand, shouting as they surged forward.

The soldiers had only charged a dozen or so paces when a deafening roar erupted from above. Looking up, they saw

round boulders, about three feet in diameter, tumbling down.

All the soldiers could do was raise their shields, with those behind holding off their comrades, hoping to

use their combined strength to stop the oncoming boulder.

With a deafening crash, the shields holding the boulder shattered, and the boulder stopped after crushing the soldiers in the front ranks.

The soldiers behind breathed a sigh of relief, but then more boulders came rolling in.

Faced with the irresistible force of the boulders, the imperial soldiers lost all will to fight and turned to flee.

However, it was too late to retreat. With screams, the boulders rolled past, leaving behind imperial cavalrymen missing limbs

.

Seeing the government troops retreat, the people of Black Dragon Stronghold cheered.

The commander was furious. He personally killed several soldiers who had led the retreat and roared, "Anyone who dares to retreat

will be killed! The first to reach the top of the mountain stronghold will be rewarded with one hundred gold coins and promoted two ranks!"

Urged on by the commander and spurred by the promise of money and promotion, the Divine Eagle Empire soldiers charged up

the mountain path .

Knowing that retreat meant certain death, while advancing meant promotion and wealth, this time the Divine Eagle Empire

soldiers were incredibly brave. Even seeing their comrades turn into a pile of minced meat couldn't stop their advance

.

The front rank of the Divine Eagle Empire soldiers, shields in hand, huddled behind them, slowly advancing up the mountain path.

Soldiers behind the front braced themselves against the backs of those in front. Whenever a boulder rolled down the path, the soldiers

behind would exert force, combining their strength to slow the boulder. In this way,

the casualties of the Imperial cavalry began to decrease, and they advanced more than ten meters.

Seeing the government troops' strategy, Black Dragon sneered and shouted, "Pour the oil!"

With his shout, bubbling hot oil poured down the mountainside.

Screams erupted as Imperial cavalrymen fell in droves. After the first few rows of shield bearers fell,

the Imperial soldiers could no longer withstand the rolling boulders. The oil-covered path made the ground slippery, and they were pushed back by the tumbling

rocks.

Faced with this impregnable terrain, the government commander could only sigh in despair.

The government troops launched several more attacks on the slopes, but were repelled each time by the Black Dragon Mountain

bandits led by Qiao Renjie and Luo Leiwen, suffering approximately five hundred casualties. However,

over a hundred .

As darkness fell, the government commander reluctantly ordered a halt to the attack and retreated to the valley floor to set up camp.

Late at night, the government troops dispatched a hundred-man suicide squad to risk climbing up the mountainside, only to

be ambushed by the Black Dragon Mountain bandits who were prepared on the mountainside. The entire squad was almost wiped out; only a dozen or so lucky soldiers fell to their deaths and

escaped, tumbling and crawling.

The next day, the government troops attacked again, but were once again hindered by the treacherous terrain, suffering heavy losses and forced to retreat.

In the following days, the government troops changed their strategy, ceasing their attacks and instead implementing a siege.

Wu Tianjiao had been on the front lines during the first two days of fighting. Although he didn't have to personally engage the enemy, he still managed to kill several imperial soldiers

with arrows .

Only when the government troops stopped attacking did he have time to assess the situation at Black Dragon Mountain.

Black Dragon Mountain was situated on the Vast Sea Plain, spanning over five hundred li in circumference. It was the only high mountain within thousands of li. Deep within

Black Dragon Mountain lay the Demon Beast Forest, teeming with countless demonic beasts and fraught with danger. According to

those who had entered Black Dragon Mountain, they had witnessed level nine demonic beasts appearing in its depths.

Given the strength of the Black Dragon Stronghold bandits, they dared not venture too far in, only gathering information about the surrounding terrain.

Through their understanding of Black Dragon Mountain, Wu Tianjiao increasingly felt the need to subdue the bandits, as its

strategic location was like a nail driven into the heart of Han Hai County. Having them as an inside force would greatly facilitate his future

development of Fengcheng's power.

The Black Dragon Stronghold members were not worried about the siege by government troops; they were well-prepared. Their food reserves were sufficient for

six months. Previously, the longest siege by government troops had only lasted a month. Although the number of troops this time was

several times greater, they wouldn't last long. As long as Black Dragon Stronghold remained unconquered, the government troops would ultimately achieve nothing.

Moreover Meng Bing was there to deal with the government troops' supply lines.

One night, at Wu Tianjiao's suggestion, Black Dragon led his men in a surprise attack on the government troops' camp, burning

dozens of tents and incidentally poisoning the only nearby water source. Although the river was flowing, the poison's effectiveness was limited.

The effect was not obvious, but it caused many soldiers to suffer from vomiting and diarrhea, greatly reducing their fighting capacity.

Two days later, when Meng Bing led his men to successfully burn the grain and fodder that the soldiers were escorting, the government troops could no longer hold

out. After launching a few final fierce attacks, leaving behind hundreds of corpses, they had to declare the bandit suppression a failure.

Watching the soldiers disappear on the horizon, the Black Dragon Village bandits knew they had once again repelled the government

's encirclement.

Black Dragon was also afraid that the government was using a feint, so he sent out a large number of scouts,

only feeling relieved when the scouts reported that the soldiers had returned to Wudian City.

That night, Black Dragon held a grand banquet to celebrate the defeat of the government troops.

At the banquet, Black Dragon praised Wu Tianjiao highly,

saying that the successful defeat of the government troops was entirely due to Wu Tianjiao's suggestion to send Meng Bing to attack the government's supply lines, and then, following Wu Tianjiao's plan, to attack the government's camp,

forcing the government troops to retreat. Adding to the fact that Wu Tianjiao had previously saved them out of righteousness, Wu Tianjiao was, in short, a great benefactor of Black Dragon Village .

The leaders immediately expressed that if Wu Tianjiao needed anything in the future, Black Dragon Village would go through fire and water

without hesitation .

Finally, Black Dragon respectfully asked Wu Tianjiao, "May I ask where Brother Wu lives? Where are you going?"

Wu Tianjiao smiled and said, "I live in Yangtou Town, and I'm going to Fengcheng now."

Black Dragon, Qiao Renjie, and Luo Leiwen exchanged glances, their eyes filled with eagerness, and said, "I have something to say,

but I don't know if I should?"

Wu Tianjiao thought to himself, "The show is about to begin." He nodded and said, "Please speak."

Black Dragon excitedly said, "Brother Wu's skills are unparalleled in my life. If Brother Wu is willing to join us,

it will surely make Black Dragon Village famous. We are willing to treat you as our chief leader. At that time, we will share the gold and drink the wine

in large Wouldn't that be wonderful?" After saying this, he looked at Wu Tianjiao eagerly.

Wu Tianjiao was taken aback, thinking, "I originally wanted to recruit you, but I didn't expect you to recruit me instead.

I have a beautiful wife and maids at home, and my future is limitless. How can I join you in robbing and

becoming an outlaw ?"

His mind raced, and he said seriously, "Brother Black Dragon, please forgive my bluntness, but a true man

should live with a clear conscience and integrity. Breaking the law and being despised by the world is not the act of a man. Besides,

robbing and becoming an outlaw is not a long-term solution. If the government troops come to wipe us out, no one will be spared.

Brother Black Dragon should find another way as soon as possible."

He finished speaking solemnly, but inwardly he chuckled to himself, wondering when he had become so righteous.

Heilong and the others sensed the refusal in Wu Tianjiao's words, their faces filled with disappointment. Heilong forced a smile and said, "

Brother Wu, you're overthinking it. There are countless bandits in the world these days. Why would the government

troops bother ? Besides, we're used to being bandits; we can't do anything else."

Qiao Renjie said, "That's not right, brother. I think Brother Wu is right. Becoming bandits is definitely not

a long-term solution. I've heard that Han Hai County has a new county head, the Second Princess of the Empire, Princess Wude. She

's made many reforms to the government since taking office, and I've also heard that she's been paying close attention to bandits in various places. That beautiful

woman is ruthless; I'm afraid that when she sends troops to suppress them, she'll start with us."

Upon hearing this, Wu Tianjiao's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't expected that the new county head of Han Hai County was Princess Wude. This

was significant news that he had been completely unaware of.

Luo Leiwen scoffed, "If we can't win, we'll just run. The mountains are high and the forests dense; we can go anywhere."

The three whispered among themselves for a while, then Black Dragon respectfully said to Wu Tianjiao, "Everyone has their own ambitions, Brother Wu. You can't be

a thief, but we're used to being carefree and can't do anything serious. However, although we are bandits, we

value gratitude and loyalty highly. I will never forget Brother Wu's life-saving grace. Brother Wu,

stay here as long as you like!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Tianjiao thought, "These men, though bandits, are indeed men of character and have their own

opinions ; they're not just following the crowd. Anyway, I need to go to Fengcheng to take up my post first, so I'm not in a hurry to recruit them. I'll deal with it when I get

there. Hmm, it's good to build relationships first; perhaps I can even ask them about the Black Wind Bandit Gang

..."

He nodded and agreed to stay temporarily at Black Dragon Village. Next, Heilong and the others engaged in lively discussions, sharing

many secrets about thieves, which broadened Wu Tianjiao's horizons. In the following days, Wu Tianjiao

, in his spare time, also taught some martial arts to everyone in the Black Dragon Stronghold. This proved to be of great use to the thieves of the Black Dragon Stronghold.

Having learned profound martial arts and mental techniques, everyone in the Black Dragon Stronghold was extremely grateful and had even greater faith in Wu Tianjiao.

At night, Wu Tianjiao sat quietly on a small hill outside the Black Dragon Stronghold.

Gazing at the bright moon and the starry sky, and thinking about his origins, a sense of loneliness welled up in Wu Tianjiao's

heart. Even now, he still didn't understand his origins, who his father was.

Suddenly, a voice came, "Young Master Wu, what are you thinking about?"

Wu Tianjiao turned his head and saw it was Qiu Lianxia.

"Sister Xia, just call me Tiancheng. Hearing you call me Young Master Wu makes me feel uncomfortable," Wu

Tianjiao said, standing up.

Qiu Lianxia stopped beside Wu Tianjiao, a faint smile on her face, which startled him.

"Alright, then I'll call you Tiancheng," Qiu Lianxia said. "You seemed lost in thought earlier, what were you thinking about?"

"Nothing, I just wanted some peace and quiet, to think about my future!" Wu Tianjiao replied.

Qiu Lianxia gazed at Wu Tianjiao's handsome face, her heart pounding. Through their interactions over this period, the unique charm

he possessed had deeply moved her.

She was of commoner birth, living with her parents. She had practiced martial arts since childhood and was quite skilled, managing to make

a living. One day, a nobleman passing through their town saw her and wanted to take her as his seventh concubine.

She naturally refused. As a result, the nobleman and his men went to her house to forcibly take her away. A fight broke

out, and her parents were beaten to death by the nobleman's men. She also stabbed the nobleman.

Normally, nobles would get away with killing a commoner. However, Qiu Lianxia stabbed the nobleman,

which was absolutely forbidden by law. It was a challenge to the ruler, a rebellion, and treason. Therefore, Qiu Lianxia

became a wanted criminal of the empire and was hunted by officials. During one of the chases, Qiu Lianxia was surrounded by officials and her life was in danger

when she was rescued by Heilong and joined the Black Dragon Stronghold.

Therefore, Qiu Lianxia harbored a deep-seated hatred for the nobility. Previously, she only knew to kill nobles to uphold justice,

but she gradually realized that their actions were merely acts of brute force, unable to shake the foundations of the rulers.

Those rulers continued to live well, still oppressing the suffering people, and her own experiences remained

unchanged. To eradicate social injustice, only by breaking down the old world and establishing a

new order where the people are the masters could such an end be possible.

Wu Tianjiao was not only handsome, but also highly skilled in martial arts, courageous, and resourceful. More importantly, he possessed

a noble spirit of compassion, making him the prince charming in the hearts of many young women. Qiu Lianxia found herself unknowingly falling

for Wu Tianjiao, so when she saw him sitting on the mountaintop gazing at the sky, she involuntarily walked over.

Now, facing Wu Tianjiao, Qiu Lianxia was speechless for a moment, simply staring blankly at him.

Wu Tianjiao, being an experienced man, had no shortage of women and was quite familiar with their psychology

. He understood Qiu Lianxia's thoughts immediately upon seeing her gaze. However, he no longer harbored the same predatory desires as before. Of course, this

didn't mean he was uninterested in beautiful women; he simply didn't want to incur further romantic entanglements.

Frankly, Wu Tianjiao and Qiu Lianxia were very fond of each other. While Qiu Lianxia was beautiful, she

paled in comparison to the Sword Empress, the Three-Tone Saintess, and the Wu sisters, and even

lacked . However, she possessed a natural beauty, exuding a simple and honest charm that those

aristocratic ladies born into luxury could never match.

With a sigh, Wu Tianjiao said, "Sister Xia, it's late and the weather is chilly. Take care of yourself."

Qiu Lianxia chuckled and said, "Tiancheng underestimates your sister Xia. I grew up enduring hardship; this little chill

won't bother me. It's you who needs to take care of yourself! By the way, what are your plans for the future?"

Wu Tianjiao smiled and said, "I'll stay for two more days, then I'll go to Fengcheng. Some of my friends are waiting for me there, and I

definitely have to go!"

Qiu Lianxia nodded without saying a word.

Wu Tianjiao couldn't find anything to say for a moment, so he simply said, "It's late, Sister Xia,

you should rest early. You have to train your men early tomorrow morning."

Qiu Lianxia said, "Tianjiao, you should rest early too. I'll be going now."

Watching Qiu Lianxia's departing figure, Wu Tianjiao sighed, looked up at the sky, and began to plan

his future.

Just as Wu Tianjiao was on Black Dragon Mountain, the Holy Mother Leiyin, the Twin Sword Maidens, and Ying Ying'er had already arrived

at the foot of Black Dragon Village.

Wearing wide-brimmed hats, the four of them dismounted at the foot of Black Dragon Mountain and gathered together.

The Holy Mother Leiyin asked, "Sword Maiden, are you sure the prodigy has arrived here?"

Sword Maiden nodded, affirming, "No mistake, he should be on Black Dragon Mountain."

The Holy Mother Leiyin looked at Sword Maiden and asked, "Sword Maiden, where are we?"

Sword Maiden replied, "This should be Black Dragon Mountain. Black Dragon Mountain is about 500 li in circumference, filled with primeval forests

inhabited by demons; most people dare not enter. It's about 500 li from Wudian City and is

the highest mountain range on the entire Han Hai Plain. There's a group of bandits on Black Dragon Mountain, numbering over a thousand. Their leader is Black Dragon, second

-in Qiao Renjie, third-in-command Luo Leiwen, and fourth-in-command Qiu Lianxia. All four are of average martial arts skill, and the entire mountain..." "The Black Dragon Stronghold's fighting strength is extremely

low. The reason it hasn't been besieged by government troops is because Black Dragon Mountain has a very treacherous terrain, practically impregnable. Furthermore

, its remote location means the government troops haven't paid much attention to it, so they've been here for many years

. We've learned that their leader was captured by government troops some time ago, and

the battle was fought by Black Dragon Stronghold bandits rescuing Black Dragon. Look, this place is a mess; you can imagine

a fierce battle that took place not long ago, ending in a defeat for the government troops."

Lei Yin Shengmu nodded secretly. The Twin Sword Maidens were quick-witted, with photographic memories, and

very . They remembered the situation in Black Dragon Stronghold, such an insignificant little stronghold, demonstrating their

broad knowledge—no wonder they were experienced in gangs.

Dao Ji continued, "According to the people at Shili Pavilion, it was Young Master who helped the Black Dragon Stronghold rescue the Black Dragon that day. I

think Young Master is currently at Black Dragon Stronghold."

Lei Yin Shengmu nodded and said, "Now, let's go to Black Dragon Stronghold."

Dao Jian Shuang Ji and the others naturally wouldn't object; they were also eager to see Wu Tianjiao.

The thieves on lookout duty at Black Dragon Stronghold saw the four riders slowly approaching and all showed wary expressions.

When Lei Yin Shengmu and the others were still twenty miles away, Black Dragon Stronghold knew their whereabouts, but since they only had

four riders, they didn't take it seriously.

Now, however, these four riders were heading straight for Black Dragon Stronghold, and they had no choice but to intervene. A burly man in his thirties, leading

two bandits from Black Dragon Stronghold, emerged from the valley. He bowed and said, "May I ask what brings you four to Black Dragon Stronghold? If

so, please wait a moment while we report to our leader."

The four members of the Lei Yin Holy Mother's group exchanged glances, a hint of surprise in their eyes. In their minds, Black

Dragon Stronghold was nothing but a band of thugs, utterly ignorant of etiquette. They believed that anyone entering their territory would

be met with harsh words and swords. They were surprised to find even a seemingly insignificant figure so polite, which

elevated their opinion of Black Dragon Stronghold.

Since the other party was so courteous, the Lei Yin Holy Mother and her companions reciprocated.

Ying Ying'er stepped forward and said, "We have come from afar and wish to see your leader. May we inform him?"

The burly man nodded and said, "Of course, please wait a moment." He then turned to one of his men and said

, "A-Tong, go and inform the leader that we have guests from afar requesting an audience."

The man bowed and left to carry out the order.

The burly man turned to Lei Yin Shengmu and the others, saying, "Guests from afar, please follow me. Our stronghold

has prepared a resting place for visiting guests."

Lei Yin Shengmu and the others exchanged glances, somewhat bewildered. In their memory, no

bandit stronghold had ever been so polite. Of course, they also suspected some kind of conspiracy, but they

didn't take these bandits seriously. Meanwhile,

Hei Long, Qiao Renjie, Luo Leiwen, and Qiu Lianxia were training the bandits of Black Village Mountain when a guard at the valley entrance

reported, "Reporting to the chief, four guests from afar request to see you."

"Four guests from afar? Do I know guests from afar?" Hei Long muttered to himself.

Suddenly, Qiu Lianxia, standing nearby, said, "Boss, do you think they're Young Master Wu's friends?"

Heilong slapped his forehead and said, "That's right, how could I forget what Young Master Wu said? He said that perhaps some

friends come looking for him, so they must be friends of Brother Wu, Liao Guangqi."

A young man of about twenty years old stepped out of the ranks, saluted, and said, "Present!"

"Quickly report to Young Master Wu that his friends have arrived," Heilong said.

"Yes!" Liao Guangqi saluted and ran off.

Watching Liao Guangqi run off, Heilong said to the guard in the valley, "Go and tell those four

guests come to the stronghold."

Wu Tianjiao was teaching several thieves martial arts when Liao Guangqi ran to his side and said, "Young Master Wu, the Boss asked me

to come and tell you that four guests want to see you, and based on our analysis, they are very likely your friends."

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