Night Fighting

The dust settled gradually.

The dozens of golden-armored guards, who had anticipated the outcome, hesitated whether to approach and see if the assassins were all dead, especially the man with fox-like eyes who had instantly killed their general.

But soon, their doubts were answered by a short curved blade.

Liu Hu appeared.

Despite his disheveled appearance, it was clear that mere gunpowder explosions would not be enough to kill such a skilled expert.

Zhang San and Lu Gaosheng watched from a distance, and they were not surprised by Liu Hu's survival.

Lu Gaosheng didn't need to risk his life to hire Zhang San if gunpowder could kill such a master.

"The show is over, Zhang brother. Although our destination is still far from here, we have plenty of time if we start rushing from here. Let's go."

Lu Gaosheng loosened the reins and mounted his horse.

However, Zhang San remained in place and asked, "When did you find out?"

Lu Gaosheng smiled faintly, "Zhang San, your thinking is sharp, not inferior to mine. You should be able to find the answer yourself."

Zhang San looked into the distance again and after a moment said, "Is it because of those wooden ox carts?"

"Haha... I said you would figure it out on your own. Alright, let's go."

Immediately, the two of them rode their snow-maned horses and quickly departed.

...

...

Once Lu Gaosheng's guards from Xu Guo entered Tian Ge Prefecture, he had already discovered their trail.

But what puzzled Lu Gaosheng was that they were using the official road.

This attracted too much attention.

Undoubtedly, the official road was the fastest way to enter the Northern Land from Tian Ge Prefecture. Although there were many mountain roads in Tian Ge Prefecture, the official road, which had been repaired, was always more convenient and smoother, even when passing through mountains and rivers.

Until...

Lu Gaosheng noticed that the guards from Xu Guo were actually using ancient wooden ox carts.

These carts were large in size and could transport a considerable amount of grain and forage. They were also very agile and widely used for transportation in the mountainous areas of Dawu Country even to this day.

But what was strange was that Tang Li definitely knew and could guess that Song YanShi was likely to make a move in the mountainous Tian Ge Prefecture.

So Lu Gaosheng, while on the wooden ox cart, saw another possibility.

Divide and conquer.

A team of seven hundred laborers marching on the road every day. No matter how formidable Song YanShi's men were, they could not truly stick to the guards and monitor them at all times.

And with seven hundred laborers using such lightweight wooden ox carts for transport, moving from the south to the central region where there were many mountain paths, if dozens of carts left every day and an equal number joined, they could quietly replace the entire transport convoy without anyone noticing!

As Lu Gaosheng realized this, he began to doubt the authenticity of the golden-armored guards.

It was not impossible to replicate the full-body golden armor worn by the guards in the capital city. Just find a man with a similar build, have him wear that suit of armor with the visor closed, and who would be able to recognize him?

As for Xu Guo, they could find a skilled expert with a similar build to pose as the commander. During the journey, he would wear a mask, occasionally revealing his face during rest periods. Unless someone came closer to scrutinize, who would know he was fake?

Therefore, Lu Gaosheng had been speculating during this period of time. After all, no matter how well Li Daitaojiang did, it was impossible to replace people and grain out of thin air. Based on the route of the fake imperial guards, Lu Gaosheng deduced the possible location of the real imperial guards and Xu Guo.

Even though he had lost the intelligence from Jin Wan Ge and Baijun Marquis had sided with Tang Li this time, Lu Gaosheng still relied on his own speculation and the scouts of the White Deer Army to find some clues.

Late at night, two days later.

In Tianruo Mansion, the Lou Lan Ancient Road.

This was an ancient road that had experienced countless changes. Before the establishment of the Dawu Country, there were hundreds of different-sized countries on this continent, constantly attacking and fighting each other, with their powers intertwined, forming alliances or waging wars against each other.

As a result, some remote ancient grain roads and highways gradually became abandoned and forgotten with the rise of the powerful Dawu Country.

On the mountains, an old road that had been neglected for a long time meandered and led to the distance.

However, the cover of the night made it hard to see the end of the road.

By the moonlight, on the ancient road, there was an endless line of wooden carts parked by the side of the road, loaded with goods. The surrounding woods were cut open to serve as temporary camping grounds.

Each of the campers wore golden armor, displaying their formidable presence. They were not really sleeping but pretending to doze off back to back.

High up in the woods.

Nearly a thousand people had already ambushed perfectly.

"My lord..." Li Xing lowered his voice and came to Zhang San and Lu Gaosheng.

Lu Gaosheng asked calmly, "How is the situation?"

Li Xing replied, "As you expected, after Song Yanshi made his move, Xu Guo received the news quickly. They have been rushing forward these past few days, probably afraid of Song Yanshi's reaction."

Lu Gaosheng nodded slightly. Tang Li, Xu Guo, and Baijun Marquis were not fools. They all knew that even if this kind of deception could fool Song Yanshi, it could only work once at most.

Li Xing continued, "However, the Lou Lan Ancient Road has been neglected for a long time, and it seems that they did not anticipate the difficulties of advancing. Their speed was slow the day before yesterday, but it suddenly increased yesterday."

Li Xing speculated that Xu Guo's goal was to enter the flat Northern Land as soon as possible.

"Suddenly increased?" Lu Gaosheng questioned.

Marching was not child's play. How could it suddenly increase?

Yesterday, Lu Gaosheng and Zhang San were still on their way, so they were unaware of some of the circumstances.

Li Xing fell silent for a moment.

Lu Gaosheng frowned and said, "Speak."

In the darkness, Li Xing's fist clenched involuntarily as he said word by word, "In order to accelerate their marching speed, they massacred seven hundred civilian laborers in the early morning of yesterday and left their bodies in the wilderness. After that, the two thousand soldiers in golden armor split into two groups, with one thousand three hundred clearing the way and the other seven hundred transporting supplies."

With the entire golden-armored army acting as the transport team, their speed was naturally incomparable to ordinary civilian laborers.

Upon hearing this, Lu Gaosheng sneered and said, "It is said that those who are righteous often become ruthless when dealing with despicable scoundrels. I don't know why they didn't include these generals who achieved success at the expense of countless lives."

A glint of sharpness flashed in Li Xing's eyes as he said, "My lord, give the order!"

Lu Gaosheng didn't say much, but slowly raised his left hand...

At the same time, Lu Gaosheng never ceased to contemplate.

Even the Golden Armor Army must be exhausted after two consecutive days of marching through such a remote place, clearing the way and hurrying along.

The White Deer Army, taking advantage of their leisure, may have fewer numbers and overall combat strength compared to the Golden Armor Army, but they still possess the ability to fight.

A fierce battle ensued under the cover of night.

Forcing Xu Guo to retreat.

Xu Guo is sure to personally command the defense.

Dispatching this Zhang San to infiltrate the enemy camp and confront Xu Guo.

According to previous assessments, both Xu Guo and Zhang San are undoubtedly peak-level experts in the Earth Realm. As long as they engage each other, Xu Guo will be too preoccupied to command effectively. Moreover, with the surprise attack by our army on the Golden Armor Army, victory will be within Lu Gaosheng's grasp!

Furthermore, if this Zhang San can truly single-handedly kill Xu Guo.

According to the plan, tossing Xu Guo's head into the enemy ranks...

Victory will be assured!

At the final moment of giving the order.

Lu Gaosheng's peripheral vision was fixed on Zhang San beside him.

The Three Great Gangs refused to help, and Liu Hu was enticed away by Song YanShi. However, Lu Gaosheng was still able to find such a remarkable expert in the martial world.

Indeed.

Fate smiles upon me.

A cold smile formed at the corner of Lu Gaosheng's mouth. With a wave of his left hand, he commanded, "Attack!"