Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 806 Sneak Attack
Every general has his own habits. Sometimes, He Tan would charge into battle without regard for the consequences, so he was always surrounded by bodyguards who worked with him to protect his safety.

He Ji and He Heng were very familiar with this, and could cooperate with him well no matter what.

But neither of them is here now.

The soldiers they personally trained were originally capable of undertaking this important task, but today, for some reason, they were all a step behind.

When He Tan faced Wu Mu, the soldiers of the Wu Ya tribe suddenly surrounded him. By the time the He family's retainers realized what was happening, they had already been isolated outside the formation, including He Xing.

He Tan saw a smile appear on Wu Mu's face.

The next moment, Umu took a few steps back and was immediately blocked behind him by tribal soldiers holding side tokens.

He Tan held the knife in one hand, looked around, and with a sweeping motion of the blade, some of the Wuya tribe members who couldn't keep their balance took a step back.

They had witnessed the might of the He family army, and even though He Tan had fallen into their trap this time, some of them still couldn't suppress the deep-seated fear.

He Tan suddenly sneered: "It seems you deliberately lured me here."

Umu dared not show his face, shrinking back as he shouted, "He Tan, you are too arrogant. This time... I'll let you... die..."

The word "death" had barely left his lips when He Tan swung his long sword downwards towards the source of Wu Mu's voice.

With a loud bang, the soldiers of the Wuya tribe could not withstand the impact and fell backward.

With another sweep of the longsword, another soldier was thrown backward.

In an instant, the previously impenetrable formation opened a gap, and He Tan seized the opportunity to thrust his longsword forward, striking Wu Mu in the shoulder.

However, the longsword's movement suddenly stopped because the gap was blocked again, and the longsword in He Tan's hand was also stuck in the gap.

Umu was covered in blood. He hadn't expected He Tan to not only not panic, but to suddenly attack him. Otherwise, he would never have said a word.

As the formation was activated, spears pierced through the gaps in the side shields, forcing He Tan to leap off his horse to dodge. His chestnut horse, however, was not so lucky, as it was struck squarely by two spears.

He Tan's eyes widened as he dodged the attack. He then rammed into the chestnut horse, forcing it to the ground. He patted the horse's head, leaving its fate to chance.

He Tan stood up again, reached for his long sword, and used the spear that was thrusting at him again to flip in the air, landing behind the side soldiers, and charged at Wu Mu once more.

Wu Mu's eyes widened in shock, and he fled in panic, causing more soldiers to shield him. He Tan was indeed not to be underestimated; even surrounded like this, his momentum remained undiminished, his long sword wielded with wide, sweeping strokes. Wu Mu had personally witnessed He Tan being injured, but He Tan seemed oblivious to the pain, completely ignoring it.

"This madman." Umu dared not confront him head-on; after all, they outnumbered him and could outlast He Tan.

……

While He Tan was locked in battle with Wu Mu and the others, the He family's retainers, who had been isolated outside, had already noticed something amiss and desperately rushed inside, trying to rescue He Tan.

He Xing instructed the others: "Try to fight your way out and get me in. I'm going to rescue the commander."

The He family servants responded and began to act according to He Xing's instructions.

However, it is unknown whether the Wuya tribe saw through their intentions and gathered troops to fight against them. They were temporarily entangled and unable to break free, and could only place their hopes on He Xing.

After three or four more of the He family's retainers fell, a path was finally cleared in front of He Xing by force.

"Come on."

Seeing this, He Xing did not hesitate and quickly ran in that direction, finally breaking into the encirclement of the Wuya tribe.

He Xing rushed to He Tan's side, quickly dealt with two soldiers from the Wuya tribe, and then stood back to back with He Tan.

“I’ll see you out,” He Xingdao said. “Go to the government office and try to mobilize the troops.”

He Tan said, "They want to kill me, they won't let me escape easily."

He Xing gritted his teeth: "Then let's fight them." He Tan laughed heartily, then suddenly remembered something: "It's a pity I can't help He Chun go to the wedding."

“Pah,” He Tan said again, “Going there won’t bring any good. I’ll just have to be his slave. Forget it… I’d rather not go.”

He Xing seemed to be touched. He said in a low voice, "We might not be unable to get out. I will protect you... We have to try... If something happens to us here, what will happen to the soldiers guarding the pass? No matter what, we have to find a way out and tell them what's going on here."

He Tan looked around: "Then let's try again."

He Xingdao said, "You just focus on breaking through and leave the rest to me."

After discussing their plan, the two drew their swords and charged forward to fight.

With He Xing behind him, He Tan felt much more relaxed. His long sword forced the Wuya tribe's soldiers to retreat step by step. He Xing found an opportunity to fight alongside He Tan and finally broke through the encirclement temporarily. However, the two were without horses and had no choice but to use the terrain to go up the mountain.

He Xing felt He Tan's steps getting slower and slower, so he reached out to help him. When he touched his palm, he felt it was slippery. When he lifted his hand, he saw that it was covered in blood.

He Xing's eyes widened: "You...you're injured? When?"

"We just broke through." He Tan clutched his lower abdomen, blood trickling down between his fingers.

He Xing immediately panicked: "We'll try every means to get into the city... to find a doctor."

He Tan shook his head: "There is no road ahead. The Wuya tribe only needs to surround this place, and we will be trapped like turtles in a jar."

“There must be a way… there must be…” He Xing said, helping He Tan forward. Soon, a steep cliff appeared in front of them.

“I am familiar with maps. Soon after entering the forest, I realized that this was a dead end,” He Tan’s breathing was a little rapid, and his face seemed to be shrouded in a layer of ashen death. “If I hadn’t lost my way while fighting with the Wuya tribe, I wouldn’t have escaped here.”

“It’s all my fault,” He Xing said with a look of self-reproach. “I should have noticed sooner…”

He Xing helped He Tan sit down: "I'll go look around, maybe I can find a way out."

He Tan nodded. Perhaps he had just used up too much energy, because he leaned against the tree and immediately closed his eyes.

He Xing strode forward, but he didn't go far. Suddenly, he flashed and hid behind the rocks. When he was sure no one was watching, he looked at He Tan not far away through the gaps in the dead branches.

He Tan remained motionless, as if he had fallen asleep. He Xing's gaze fell on the long sword beside He Tan's hand. Whether by coincidence or not, at that moment, the long sword suddenly moved.

He Xing was startled, but... the next moment he relaxed his brows, because he saw with his own eyes the long sword slip off He Tan's leg, obviously He Tan had let go of the long sword.

Thinking of He Tan's injuries, a glint flashed in He Xing's eyes. He gripped the blade in his hand tightly and tiptoed toward He Tan. He dared not face He Tan directly, but instead circled around behind him.

One step, two steps, three steps...

When he got close enough, He Xing raised the blade in his hand and slashed straight at He Tan.

The moment the blade struck, no one was torn apart.

The sound of sharp weapons clashing rang out. The next moment, He Tan leaped up from the ground, blocked He Xing's attack with his long sword, and then slashed forward towards He Xing's neck. Unfortunately, he was not strong enough and He Xing dodged it.

He Xing looked at He Tan in surprise: "You...you figured it out..."

He Tan's expression was cold: "If I were you, I should have made my move at the foot of the mountain. You're so careful even when you're trying to ambush me from behind, waiting until I'm exhausted before you make your move... How useless are you?"

He Xing was not angry. He patiently blocked He Tan's way down the mountain: "How much strength do you have left? Even if you get past me, do you think you can escape the encirclement and capture by the Wuya tribe? You can't escape today."

"Why?" He Tan asked, "Just because I reported your case to the imperial court?"

He Xing shook his head, a fierce look on his face: "Not entirely, it's also because a good bird chooses a good tree to perch on... If I don't make great contributions, I'll always be suppressed by you. Taking advantage of this time of change, I'll also change the rules of the He family."

(End of this chapter)