Chapter 99

  Tang Yin smiled slightly and looked at Qiu Zhen. The latter understood his meaning and explained their battle plan to Cheng Jin and the others in detail.

  After he finished speaking, the four of them finally understood what was going on. Cheng Jin remained silent for a moment before opening his mouth to say, "Sir, I'll go with you!"

  As soon as he finished speaking, Jiaxi, Jiangmo and Aojing also expressed their willingness to follow Tangyin to Yuwang Town.

  Tang Yin chuckled and shook his head, saying: "I'd like to thank you all for your kind intentions, but I don't think this trip is dangerous. On the contrary, I think the border city is actually the more dangerous place. From my previous studies of war examples, I've found that the barbarian army's battles are always swift and decisive, so if they were to attack the border city, they would definitely use their full strength from the start. Whether the border city can withstand the enemy's first wave of attacks is still uncertain in my mind, so I hope you four can stay behind and lend a helping hand to the border city's defense."

  Cheng Jin thought for a moment and felt that Tang Yan's words might also make sense. He changed his tone and said: "Sir, how about this? I'll follow you with Ao Qing to help you out, while Jia Xi and Jiang Mo stay in the border city to assist the defending army!"

  He finally found a place to settle down and was deeply afraid that something unexpected would happen to Tang Yin. If he couldn't go in person, he wouldn't be at peace no matter what.

  Seeing the urgency in his eyes, Tang Yin couldn't refuse anymore and nodded, "Alright! You and Ao Qing follow me." As he spoke, he looked at Ao Qing again and asked, "If you don't want to go, you don't have to force yourself."

  Ao Qing was the only woman among the four, but her temperament was extremely strong and bold, in no way inferior to that of a man. She said solemnly, "I am willing to accompany you, sir."

  "Hmm!" Tang Yin nodded and said, "Alright, we'll set off at dawn tomorrow." As he spoke, he looked straight at Qiu Zhen and said solemnly, "Qiu Zhen, the border city is now in your hands. No matter what happens, you must not let the barbarian troops enter the city before I arrive!"

  "Don't worry, sir. I'll do my best." Qiu Zhengyi replied, and then added another sentence, "You should also be careful, sir."

  "I know." Tang Yin patted Qiu Zhen's shoulder. To his first friend in this world, he was very precious. If there were others who could be used, he would absolutely not leave Qiu Zhen in the dangerous place of Bian Cheng.

  The next day, Tang Yin set out for Yuanwang Town with the Upper Officer brothers, Cheng Jin, Ao Qing, and two thousand elite soldiers carefully selected from various military units.

  As the original residents of Yuanwang Town moved into Biancheng, this small town has become a deserted town. In the daytime, the town is empty and desolate, like a ghost town. Walking in, one can't help but feel a chill.

  Led by soldiers familiar with the local environment, as Xiao Muqing said, almost every household in the town had a hidden cellar or tunnel, some of which could accommodate dozens of people, and others could even accommodate hundreds of people. The 2,000 government troops were divided into batches and hid in various cellars and tunnels, still feeling very spacious.

  First, let the soldiers hide separately, then Tang Yin personally came out to inspect and select those relatively unhidden tunnels or passages, finally retaining only twenty places, and then dividing the officers and men into twenty batches, respectively entering them. After that, he carefully made another inspection, confirming that there was no improper place, before putting his mind at ease.

  Afraid of exposing his tracks, Tang Yin arranged all his soldiers in a stable manner and then ordered a strict ban on going out. No matter who it was or for what reason, once the order was disobeyed, they would be dealt with according to military law.

  Tang Yin's own tunnel was located in the center of the town, and although the entrance was not particularly hidden, its location was excellent. No matter where the government soldiers encountered an accident, he could rush to their aid at the first time. Moreover, the exit of the tunnel led directly out of the town, hiding inside, one could sneak out of the town at any time to observe the enemy's movements.

  Inside the tunnel was pitch black, and when you stretched out your hand, you couldn't see five fingers. At this time, the advantage of Anxi Lingwu's dark system was revealed. Tang Yin, Cheng Jin, and Ao Qing were all able to vaguely see objects inside the tunnel, while Shangguan brothers who were with them became blind with their eyes open. The two sat in the corner of the tunnel, motionless.

  Feeling the unease of the two, Tang Yin took out a small oil lamp that had been prepared early and lit it. Although the light was weak, in the dark tunnel, even a faint light seemed precious. The spirits of the Shangguan brothers were lifted, and they both sat down next to the small oil lamp. Perhaps because of the presence of light, Shangguan Yuanbiao began to speak more.

  "Sir, when do you think the barbarian troops will arrive?"

  Tang Yin shrugged and leaned back in his chair, saying: "Heaven knows! Maybe it'll be one or two days, or maybe it'll take five or six days."

  "So we just stay here and wait?"

  "What's the harm? The grain we brought is enough for half a month."

  "But... can't we just keep waiting like this?! If the barbarian troops don't come, can we really just keep waiting?"

  Tang Yan said: "Ten days! Are we going to wait here?"

  Tang Yan said: "Ten days! We'll wait here for ten days. If he still doesn't come after ten days, can we keep waiting?"

  "Ten days!" Officer Yuan Bo muttered to himself, then let out a soft sigh and muttered again, "Just suffocate here for ten days!"

  Tang Yin smiled and said, "If the barbarian troops attack tomorrow, we can go back tomorrow."

  Shangguan Yuanbiao sneered and said, "I really hope the barbarian troops can attack us sooner!"

  At noon, Ao Qing took out the dough and dried meat from the package she brought with her, handed it to Tang Yin in front of her, and said softly, "Sir, have something to eat!"

  Tang Yin took over and tore off a piece of dried meat, eating it while curiously asking, "Ao Qing, how old are you this year?"

  Whether modern or ancient times, directly asking a woman's age is too direct. Ao Qing was stunned for a moment, without any coquettish attitude, and smiled: "20"

  "How many years have you been practicing spiritual martial arts?"

  "Three years!"

  "Only 3 years?" Tang Yin was surprised, feeling that Ao Qing's cultivation was not weak at all. He could skillfully use the Shadow Drift technique, and had at least reached the Linghua Realm. To have cultivated to the Linghua Realm in just three years was truly remarkable, a rare talent in the world of martial arts. He smiled in praise: "Not bad, if you continue to cultivate diligently, your future prospects will be limitless."

  His praise made Ao Qing's face reveal a look of excitement, and her jade-like complexion also flushed with redness. He curiously asked, "Sir, how long have you been practicing Dark Martial Arts?"

  This question was quite difficult for Tang Yin to answer. He could say several months, or several decades, even several hundred years. He smiled lightly and said vaguely, "It's neither long nor short."

  Perhaps having experienced too many things, Ao Qing has an maturity that doesn't match his actual age. Seeing Tang Yin not willing to answer directly, he didn't ask further and instead...

  Some envied and said, "It's not easy for everyone to sit in the position of county guard as a dark assassin of cultivators."

  "Haha" Tang Yin chuckled at his words and waved his hand, saying: "Actually, I didn't do anything, being able to get the county guard position is all thanks to the dancer's relationship."

  He has a good relationship with the dancer, which is no secret. Outsiders have been saying that he owes his success to the dancer's background, but it's not easy for him to say this himself in such a casual tone. This also makes Ao Qing and Cheng Jin look at him with newfound respect.

  He said that, Ao Qing felt that his previous words were somewhat impolite. He straightened up and said: "Sir is too modest, if Sir was indeed a mediocre person, even if the Dance House promoted him, he would still be unable to achieve anything, let alone stay in this humble abode!"

  Tang Yin was amused by her again, and he secretly nodded in his heart, what a clever and lively little girl. After chatting, he had a good impression of Ao Qing, and similarly, Ao Qing and Cheng Jin admired him even more, and they were even more determined to stay by his side and work for him.

  Always silent Cheng Jin suddenly spoke up and said: "I think the adults should not be willing to just be a county guard, right?" His words were mostly exploratory, he wanted to probe Tang Yin's ambition, which would also determine how much effort he would put in in the future.

  Tang Yin's eyes shone brightly, gazing directly at the brocade. When he concentrated his gaze, his eyes sparkled with a sharp and evil light, as if they had turned into substance, making the person being stared at feel a scorching heat on their body.

  Cheng Jin was no exception. Under Tang Yin's sharp gaze, he unconsciously lowered his head and avoided eye contact with him.

  After a moment, Tang Yin's mouth curled up, and he smiled as he withdrew his gaze. He still didn't answer directly, but instead said: "The times create heroes. Even if I don't become a hero, at least I won't be like a timid, fearful, and useless bear."

  His words were not ambiguous, and Cheng Jin naturally understood the meaning behind them. His eyes lit up, and his spirit was greatly lifted. He said in a low voice, "As long as you have great ambitions, I will risk my life to assist you!"

  "You can say that, I'm delighted. Since you're willing to entrust your life to me, I will definitely make it shine."

  "Adult..."

  "It's too early to talk about these things now, the priority is the problem of the barbarian states." Tang Yin's eyes suddenly turned profound, as he himself was the county governor of Pingyuan County, wasn't the Mohe Federation a sword hanging over his own head, and whether or not he could eradicate the problem of the barbarian states was crucial to his future prospects.

  How can the troubles of the barbarian state be completely eradicated? Even if this time they are truly defeated, who can guarantee that the other side will not bring more troops to avenge themselves? Even if at that time they can still defeat the enemy, how will they respond to the next attack and ambush, and the one after that, and the one after that... As he served as the guardian of Pingyuan County for longer and longer, the problems he considered became deeper and deeper. At present, the troubles of the barbarian state are the most profound and serious problem plaguing Tang Yin.

  Tang Yin's eyebrows deepened. Cheng Jin said, "The troubles of the barbarian state are indeed insoluble; there is only one way out - to seek peace!"

  "What, surrender?" Tang Yin raised an eyebrow. In his mind, seeking peace was equivalent to capitulation, and he absolutely could not tolerate such a thing happening.

  Before he could speak, Shangguan Yuanbiao couldn't help but burst out in anger. He clenched his fist and slammed it on the ground, roaring: "Fire the cannons! Rather than begging for peace from those barbarians, we might as well just die a quick death!"