harleyscars Chapter 47: A Twist of Fate, A Glimmer of Hope
Chapter 47: A Twist of Fate, A Glimmer of Hope
The mission's response naturally alerted the ambush team!
Once you realize you've been exposed, there's no need to keep hiding anymore.
The ambush force immediately began to move towards the delegation, hoping to surround it.
The only saving grace was that the ones who ambushed Fan Xian and his companions were martial arts practitioners, not the military.
If they were surrounded by an army of over a thousand men, and they were to be crushed head-on, it's hard to say whether Fan Xian and his companions could even last for a quarter of an hour.
The location chosen by Gundam is a hillside with cliffs on three sides and only one entrance.
Although their opponents were all martial artists of the sixth rank or above, they still couldn't climb up the cliff, which was hundreds of meters high.
Fan Xian did not interfere with Gao Da's defenses, and Ye Chengfeng did the same.
Neither of them knew any of this, so naturally they wouldn't act in this way.
Although it was Gao Da's first time commanding an operation, he was only directing about two hundred people to set up defenses, and he handled it quite well.
When he was setting up his defenses, he already knew what situation he was facing.
"Over a thousand martial arts practitioners have surrounded and attacked us. Which faction is behind this?"
Gao Da's expression was solemn, and he was also preparing a backup plan.
The reason for choosing this cliff was not because it was a desperate battle.
But life is found at the edge of the cliff.
He secretly ordered ropes to be prepared, so that if they couldn't hold out, Fan Xian would have to leave first.
Leaving Gao Da's side aside, Ye Chengfeng and Fan Xian leaned against a huge rock.
Fan Xian kept his eyes fixed intently on Ye Chengfeng.
The last time Fan Xian said "Holy crap" he was already suspicious, and now he said "Damn it".
These facts were enough for Fan Xian to confirm that Ye Chengfeng was also a "time traveler".
But then Fan Xian remembered the letter Ye Qingmei had left for him.
In the letter, Ye Qingmei clearly stated that there is no such thing as time travel in this world, and that Fan Xian's existence is just a special case.
However, Fan Xian does not yet know the specifics.
"Tell me, what's really going on? Don't try to fool me anymore."
"Fan Xian, you have your secrets, and I have mine. Why keep digging into it?"
Fan Xian thought about it and realized that it was true; his secrets seemed to be no less than Ye Chengfeng's.
Even if Ye Chengfeng pressed him for an answer, he might not necessarily respond.
"Fine, I won't tell you then."
"To be honest, I'm quite happy to meet my kind in this world."
"Heh, come on, you should be thinking about how to get through this crisis!"
Ye Chengfeng gestured with his lips. At this moment, the delegation's guards had already begun to clash with the ambushers.
However, at present, those martial arts figures have only sent a small number of people to attack.
The other party's objective was also very simple: to probe the mission's background.
Moreover, they are, after all, martial arts practitioners, and this kind of sneak attack is what they are best at.
If they charge in headfirst, not only will they be unable to break through the guards of the delegation, but they themselves will likely suffer heavy casualties.
After all, these martial arts practitioners had no armor to protect them, even when facing a delegation of less than two hundred guards.
However, the mission's guards still possessed ranged attack capabilities, although the number of archers was small.
With the current number of arrows the mission has, wiping out two or three hundred of these ambushers shouldn't be a problem.
Moreover, in a head-on battle, to eliminate the delegation's guards, at least five or six hundred more would be lost.
Of the ambush group, the ones who could truly threaten Fan Xian and Ye Chengfeng were the eighth-rank warriors and a considerable number of seventh-rank warriors.
Without the delegation's guards, Fan Xian and Ye Chengfeng were surrounded by these people and had no way to escape.
"If we continue to play defensively, we will be at a huge disadvantage. The longer it drags on, the more disadvantageous it will be for us."
"So you never expected anything from Wang Qinian in the first place, right?"
"That's right. Even if we can hold out for two hours, these people will have already run away before the border troops arrive."
Ye Chengfeng jumped onto the big rock and looked down at the entrance.
"They seem to have archers, but I don't know why they're not letting them move?"
Fan Xian jumped up as well, and naturally discovered the archers hiding in the tree.
"I think I know why. Although the delegation's guards are few in number, they have swords and shields for defense. Their archers may not be able to achieve anything, but instead will provide the delegation with more arrows."
"So, as long as the archers in our delegation's guard aren't eliminated, the enemy's archers won't attack?"
"That seems to be the case. It looks like we need to be wary of a sneak attack."
Ye Chengfeng glanced at the sky and sighed, "This is bad. If it drags on until dark, it will be the domain of those martial arts practitioners."
Fan Xian naturally noticed this as well.
Judging from the sky, the sun will probably set completely in another hour or so.
All of these are suitable for those who travel the martial arts world, as they can take advantage of the night to attack the mountain.
Once they get close, they will be met with a barrage of hidden weapons.
At such a distance, hidden weapons would be ineffective, giving archers a greater advantage.
However, if they get close and, with the help of archers who have been hiding in the shadows, a volley of fire would likely kill more than half of the delegation's guards.
"Therefore, we must take the initiative before dark."
"Are you crazy? They came here to kill you, and you're just walking into their trap?"
"Do you have a better idea?"
Ye Chengfeng naturally had no better options; he could certainly handle using underhanded tactics and schemes.
However, Ye Chengfeng had little experience in large-scale operations and was even less skilled at them.
"Look at that grove of trees."
Fan Xian pointed to the woods at the foot of the mountain. It was winter, and the weather was dry.
Although Fan Xian didn't say much, Ye Chengfeng immediately understood Fan Xian's plan.
The weather is dry, and it's a forest; what strategy can we use?
"You mean fire attack?"
"That's right. After I got up the mountain, I made a point of observing the wind direction here. The wind was blowing outwards from the mountain, so lighting the fire wouldn't burn us."
"It is indeed a good idea, but there are only so many of us, and the other side will not let us go down the mountain."
The ambush attackers were all martial arts practitioners, and there were archers hiding in that grove.
There are probably more martial artists lying in ambush nearby.
Getting close is definitely not an easy thing.
Moreover, it takes time for a wildfire to spread once it's started, and they don't have enough fuel to start it.
"I've looked. There's a pine forest on the left side of the hillside. There must be plenty of pine cones this season. We can collect them and prepare a hollowed-out tree stump. With my current ninth-rank strength, I should be able to throw it over there!"
"You're too cunning, but your plan isn't perfect. Let me add a few points."
"Oh, what's not perfect about it?"
Ye Chengfeng rolled his eyes. Fan Xian was so focused on dealing with the archers that he underestimated the eighth-rank martial artists.
They only need to send seventh-rank martial artists to hold off the delegation's guards and the eight sword attendants.
They could easily use their numerous eighth-rank officials to wear down Fan Xian and Ye Chengfeng.
"We could easily set two fires and set the road up the mountain on fire as well."
"You mean build a wall of fire at the entrance?"
Fan Xian immediately understood Ye Chengfeng's meaning.
"That's right, we don't need to fight them head-on, we just need to buy time."
"Guess how long it takes for a wildfire to go out once it starts?"
Fan Xian looked at the small hill where they were. Although there wasn't much flammable material, if the wildfire really started, it could burn for at least a day or two.