Chapter 43: Setting a Fire

Zhao Ergou had already uncovered the Achilles' heel of Gaoque Pass—its water supply.

Moving swiftly through the inner city, he located several water storage facilities, the very lifeblood of the fortress.

Perhaps to prevent contamination, or perhaps out of sheer frugality, the reservoirs at Gaoque Pass featured a unique design comprising both open-air masonry structures and closed wooden barrel systems.

Operating unseen and unheard, Zhao Ergou proceeded to sabotage a portion of the water containers, sending precious water gushing out with a sound resembling weeping.

Next, slithering forward like a phantom, he slipped toward the fortress granary and material stockpile.

With a single spark, he set the dark night ablaze!

Instantly swallowed by tongues of fire, the granary roared as towering flames reached toward the heavens.

The rest was simple.

Panic gripped the garrison troops upon discovering the fire; they shouted in terror, running about aimlessly like headless flies in desperate attempts to extinguish the blaze.

Yet, they quickly realized the reservoirs were completely empty.

This sudden turn of events plunged the defenders' hearts into despair.

To put out the fire before it spread further, they had no choice but to venture outside the stockade to fetch water.

This was precisely the outcome Zhao Ergou had hoped for!

"Brothers, the opportunity is here! Charge with me!"

Like an agile leopard amidst the chaos, Zhao Ergou slipped silently up to the gate tower.

"Lads, draw your bows and loose your arrows!"

Following Tuge Bu's command, Zhao Ergou and his comrades drew their bows in unison.

"General, judging by their equipment, those men look like our own people, don't they?"

A soldier's voice rang out amid the din, tinged with hesitation and doubt.

Through the flickering firelight, a squad of Qin soldiers clad in nomadic attire drew closer and closer.

Their figures stood out with startling clarity against the blazing backdrop.

Fifty paces more, and they would enter the range of the archers.

"I care not who they are! Should anyone approach, turn them into hedgehogs!" Tuge Bu's will was unyielding, absolute, and devoid of room for negotiation.

His voice reverberated through the night sky with unquestionable authority.

Better to kill a thousand by mistake than let a single one escape!

That was his sole conviction in this moment.

"Archers, ready!"

At Tuge Bu's command, the archers pulled their bowstrings taut, arrows notched and brimming with lethal potential.

Just at this critical juncture, Zhao Ergou roared, "The time has come, watch my performance!"

His arrow whistled as it tore through the air.

This unexpected shot left everyone utterly bewildered.

Then, the brazier overturned.

As the flames rapidly died out, the figures of the Qin soldiers instantly plunged into the boundless darkness, vanishing without a trace.

"What is happening?!" The Rongdi soldiers stared in utter disbelief, their eyes wide with shock.

"Hahahaha, Heaven aids us indeed! Great Qin shall prevail!" Luo Datong and the others, whose nerves had been strained to the breaking point while bracing for the first wave of arrows, now burst into deafening laughter.

They sprinted through the darkness alongside their comrades, cheering and leaping about with the carefree joy of children.

"This is..." Only Sun Liu accurately perceived everything that had just transpired beneath the fiery glow of the night.

His gaze was sharp as a hawk's, piercing through the gloom.

Following the trajectory whence the arrow had come, his eyes locked onto the martial figure drawing a bow upon the ramparts, recognizing him in a single glance.

"It's him?" A surge of inexplicable excitement welled within Sun Liu's heart.

Zhao Ergou's maneuver was nothing short of a textbook demonstration!

Sun Liu instantly grasped Zhao Ergou's intent, transforming himself into a sniper in the shadows for the remainder of the engagement.

Before Zhao Ergou could act, Sun Liu systematically shot out the roadside braziers one by one.

The darkness became their greatest shield.

"Ge-General, what do we do?" a soldier's voice trembled, verging on a sob.

"Discretionary fire!" Tuge Bu drew in a sharp breath, his complexion turning an intimidating shade of lead.

Amidst this cascading series of blows, he still sought to maintain his composure and command the battle.

Yet, it was all to little avail.

The sparse volley of arrows fell aimlessly into the vast expanse of darkness, like pebbles tossed into an endless ocean, failing to stir the slightest ripple.

The Qin troops suffered virtually no casualties.

"How much longer until the gates are shut?" Tuge Bu urged anxiously, craning his neck as he peered outward.

The dozen or so warriors who had gone out for water were entirely unprepared, their weapons still ungrasped, when they abruptly collided with the enemy force.

Swallowed instantly by the tide of adversaries, the torches they carried instead illuminated their paths, enabling the archers on the ramparts to execute a second volley with pinpoint accuracy.

"Rest assured, My Lord, the gates are closing now!" a soldier reported from the gateway.

Indeed, running on foot alone, it was impossible under any circumstance to cross that lengthy expanse before the gates sealed shut.

Gaoque Pass remained secure... did it not?

Tuge Bu furrowed his brows deeply, his mind plagued by doubt and unease.

His keen intuition told him things could not possibly be this simple.

A fire within the stockade, coupled with an unexpected arrival outside...

Undoubtedly, a massive conspiracy lurked behind these events.

Could there be no contingency in place?

"Royal Guard, follow me!"

With a ferocious roar like a descending tiger, Tuge Bu surged forward with overwhelming momentum, leading his men into the fray.

Simultaneously, a covert arrow sliced through the air from the shadows, hurtling straight toward a tall man clad in nomadic garb.

That man was none other than Zhao Ergou!

And the one holding the bow trained upon him was another master archer of the garrison.

Clearly, this fellow had not missed the moment when Zhao Ergou shot out the brazier.

Having identified the formidable "turncoat," he had immediately pursued him with two trusted bodyguards.

Just as he surmised, Zhao Ergou was indeed heading toward the main gate to halt those manually operating the mechanism.

Three corpses lay upon the ground, confirming Zhao Ergou's identity beyond a doubt.

"No matter who you think you are, stay put and behave!"

With those words, the master archer turned his head slightly to instruct his subordinates.

"Disarm him and drag him before the General!"

Zhao Ergou's brows arched. Though he could not understand their barbarian tongue, he could plainly see the small boss's eyes fixed unwaveringly on his bow-wielding right hand.

Hoo—

Zhao Ergou exhaled a long breath.

He knew all too well that the moment he made a move, the archer would loose his arrow.

Seconds dragged by, feeling agonizingly like an eternity.

The bodyguards raised their sabers, closing in on Zhao Ergou step by step like starving wolves eyeing their prey.

Hoo—

As he breathed heavily, Zhao Ergou swept his gaze across the surroundings.

Though these three men did not look like much, their formation was remarkably tight, and their coordination was seamless.

Displaying exemplary tactical discipline, they moved in perfect unison, continually cutting off Zhao Ergou's escape routes while skillfully avoiding their leader's line of fire.

Ten paces. Eight paces. Five paces.

The soldiers grew ever closer, their murderous aura intensifying.

Just as they were about to lay hands on him and strip him of his weapon...

Zhao Ergou moved!

With a motion of his left hand as swift as lightning—

"Agh!"

In the blink of an eye, the master archer shrieked, clutching his face as he collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony.

"Is that all? Would I need a bow to kill the likes of you?"

A sneer curled Zhao Ergou's lips, his eyes brimming with utter disdain.

The arrow he had clutched tightly in his left hand had been hurled like a hidden weapon, striking his assailant dead instantly!

And by coincidence, the projectile happened to thread precisely through the gap left open by the advancing guardsmen.