In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 852 Cooperative Operations, Heavy Crossbow Strikes the Enemy

The sun sets, and the moon appears.

The entire city of Daning was shrouded in darkness, but the brothels and entertainment venues within the city remained bustling and brightly lit.

The same applies to taverns and teahouses.

Many merchants and shopkeepers gathered here, talking about their business with worried expressions.

Time passed, moonlight streamed down, and a chill crept into the air.

In October, the daytime is still quite hot, but at night you already need to wear long sleeves and trousers.

As midnight approached, the daytime heat had just dissipated, and a chill crept into all the houses in Daning City.

In Anren Lane, Zilu Street, north of the city, several small residential courtyards stand side by side.
It appeared dark and quiet under the moonlight.

Only a few candlelight illuminated the dilapidated window, casting the shadows of a few figures moving back and forth.

Inside the middle room, a burly man in his thirties stood by the window.

Tall and rough-skinned,
He was wearing armor at the moment, and his face was gloomy.

Behind him, a dozen or so brothers, also clad in armor, were positioned in various corners.

Whether sitting or leaning, close your eyes and relax.

Seeing this, a complex emotion flashed in the burly man's eyes.
His rough hands gripped the long knife tightly and then released it slightly, letting out a barely perceptible sigh.

The large man's name was Xiong Junhao, and he was a centurion in the city defense forces at the south gate.
Today, he received orders from his superiors to gather here, so he brought his trusted brothers with him!

But it was originally said that something big was going to happen.

A day passed, and still nothing happened.
This gave Xiong Junhao a bad feeling.

Bringing armor and troops along is inherently taboo.

Especially the adult's resolute gaze and his meaningful words made Xiong Junhao think more deeply.

"The lives of our brothers depend on you. Remember, when the order is given, complete the mission at all costs."

"Yes!"

The voice and the look in his eyes lingered in Xiong Junhao's mind, leaving him unable to calm down.
At that moment, a young man in his twenties walked over slowly.

They carefully avoided the soldiers inside the house as they moved, afraid of disturbing them.

"How about it?"

Xiong Junhao turned his head to look over and spoke in a low voice.

The young man nodded slightly:
"Sir, we haven't found anything suspicious. No one has entered the alley for almost an hour."

Xiong Junhao breathed a sigh of relief and nodded slightly:

"Understood. Have the brothers guard the rooftop and record the names of everyone who passes by."
If anything goes wrong, report it to me immediately.

"Yes."

The young man's expression was serious as he spoke softly:
"My lord, please take a rest. Your subordinates are keeping watch here."

Upon hearing this, Xiong Junhao felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him and nodded slightly.

"You go first."

After the young man left, Xiong Junhao sat down on a stool nearby.
Leaning against the wall, I closed my eyes to rest and drifted off to sleep.

At this very moment, on the rooftop of a two-story building not far from Anren Lane,
A figure was perfectly concealed in the darkness, silently watching what lay ahead.

Only the occasional flash of bright silver light will reveal two points of light on the lens.

"Two people were stationed on the rooftops of each of the six houses, one to observe from the north and one from the south."
They were equipped with binoculars, dressed in black night-clothes, and acted professionally and cautiously; they were likely military scouts.

A cold, clear voice came from the darkness.
The sharp sound of a brush slicing through paper could be heard immediately from the shaded area.

"There are twelve guards on the roof. There is one guard at the front and one at the back of houses number one and four. The other houses cannot be checked for the time being."

"I suggest a volley of longbows to clear out the rooftop scouts first!"

The sound of flowing pen strokes echoed once more in the darkness!
"My lord, when shall we proceed?"

In the darkness, Qin Yuanfang's calm face emerged from the shadows, the moonlight casting a chilling glow upon it.

He glanced at the sky, then at the flickering candlelight in the distance, and said softly:
"Move out in 25 minutes. Order all units to simultaneously eliminate targets on the perimeter."

Remember not to alert the enemy or make any noise.

"Yes!"

A figure crept down the two-story building into the darkness.

As time passed, figures slowly crept into the darkness of the alley.

It moves at a steady pace and is agile.

Like tiny insects gathering towards their long-awaited food.

Cautious, yet extremely aggressive!
Hu Xiaowu, holding a large bow, hid in the shadows from the rooftops of a nearby alley.
He leaned against the roof of the tiled house, looking relaxed, and gently pulled the large bow in his hand.
The large bow was being stretched and retracted.
Asir, who was observing from the side, was shocked.

He couldn't even pull a bow this big when he placed it on the ground.

Adults could lie on the roof and play with it as if it were cotton.

Asir was very eager to know how this was done.
But out of discipline, Asir refrained from asking any questions!

Then, Asir saw the adult beside him turn around and stand straight on the roof after hearing the cry of an owl.

He can draw his bow as full as the moon!
The jet-black bow was drawn into a large circle.
A silver-white arrow hangs from the bowstring, bathed in the cool moonlight, and a chilling aura suddenly fills the air!

Asir's pupils suddenly contracted.
How did I manage to stand up like that?
He quickly turned over and looked at the surveillance building in front of him, his pupils suddenly contracting!
Centered on six residential houses on Anren Street,
Figures appeared from the dark rooftops all around.

They stood tall and straight like the adults beside us, their large bows drawn into the shape of a full moon!
The next moment, before Asir could react.

"Ding~"

The sound of the bowstring vibrating suddenly rang out, followed by a sharp whistling sound.

"Whoosh-"

An arrow shot from a bow pierces the air and cuts through the moonlight.
Heading towards the rooftops of six houses on Anren Street, the silver light meandered and twisted in the air!

Asir's ears twitched slightly; the sound of something cutting through the air was very clear to him.

He heard it too, not just one! But twelve!
In sight, twelve feathered arrows pierced through the darkness and arrived at the bright spot where the moonlight shone, their silvery light scattering everywhere.

Like a celestial maiden scattering flowers, they are arranged neatly and orderly, possessing a unique aesthetic beauty.

However, this kind of celestial maiden scattering flowers is done in the opposite direction.

Twelve feathered arrows shot out from the outside in at the same time.

"Puch!"

The sound of a longbow piercing flesh rang out almost simultaneously.

The twelve people who were crawling all stiffened at the same time.
It was as if the earth had turned upside down, making them all tremble.

Then there was no further movement!

Asir's pupils contracted again as he picked up the binoculars and looked ahead.

The two figures on the roof of the southern house each had an arrow stuck in their head.
A needle pierced through the back of the head and exited through the nose.

Another one shot in through the eye and out through the back of the head.

In this moonlight, one can see the gushing, dark blood.

Asir felt a chill run through his body; he, too, had killed people.
But what happened today gave him an unimaginable shock.

So this is what coordinated operations look like.

In comparison, their attack in the alleyway appears naive and riddled with errors.
A dozen people surrounded and attacked three people, and they even made a commotion.

Before their eyes, the twelve men on the roof, along with those guarding the front and back, were all killed at the same time.

They weren't even given time to think.

To be fair, Asir felt a sense of fear.
He feared that he might die needlessly without even knowing why.

As Asir was thinking, he heard a hoarse voice beside him:
"Let's go, forward."

Asir was startled, but quickly came to his senses.

"Yes!"

One after another, figures descended from the rooftops.

They walked openly and brazenly along the shadow of the wall toward Anren Lane!
Before long, Asir met with the men who had been on duty.
They stood at the doorway, armed with long swords and crossbows.

The gate to the courtyard was open, revealing its dilapidated state and the faint glow of candlelight.

Hu Xiaowu approached and stared at the corpse by the door for a moment.
He didn't speak, but waved his hand!

Behind them, more than ten people carrying heavy objects wrapped in black cloth slowly walked into the courtyard.

Just as Asir was wondering, the dozen or so people had already stood in a row, removed their black cloths, and revealed heavy crossbows underneath that looked solemn, heavy, and exuded a murderous aura!
As soon as Asir glanced at her, he felt an aura of death enveloping his body.
The crossbow, nearly an arm's length long, was grotesque and terrifying.
Each crossbow bolt, as thick as a baby's arm, is embedded in it, and is dark brown in color.

The enormous arrow was as wide as two of his fingers, with menacing outward-facing claws at its edges.

Asir felt a chill run down his spine for no apparent reason.
If that crossbow bolt pierces the body, there's no way to pull it out!
A dozen men raised their heavy crossbows, and a thin man dressed in black stepped forward.
He gently broke a small hole in the window, took a curved telescope, and observed from the base of the wall.

As he watched, he made various hand gestures.

Asir saw that the heavy crossbows, which had been aimed at him, adjusted their direction several times and no longer became aligned!

After watching for a while, Asir understood.

This is setting the firing position to ensure a one-shot kill.
In less than ten breaths, the heavy crossbows held by more than a dozen men were already aimed in various directions.
The two exposed eyes showed no other emotional fluctuation.
There was only calm, as if the same thing had been done countless times before.

Inside the room, Xiong Junhao was drowsy, his head nodding frequently, his whole being in a state between sleep and wakefulness.

Just then, another owl's cry woke him up.
Xiong Junhao opened his eyes in a daze, a flash of annoyance in them.
But soon, his blank eyes sharpened.

"wrong!"

"Whoosh-"

At that moment, the faint sound of something cutting through the air outside the window shattered the last shred of hope in Xiong Junhao's heart, and he suddenly stood up.

"Rise, all of you."

Before he could finish speaking, the dilapidated window with its splintered wooden beams was smashed open.

The shattered fragments were dusted off.

One by one, holes appeared in the window.

Silvery moonlight peeked in through the gaps, illuminating the white feathers at the tip of the crossbow bolt!
Xiong Junhao's voice stopped abruptly, and he seemed to be nailed to the spot, as if time itself had slowed down.

The large crossbow bolts thrusting through the window also slowed down.
But even if he could see it, he couldn't escape it.

He could only watch helplessly as it pierced his chest!
What hit me wasn't excruciating pain, but numbness.

He felt as if he had been violently struck by a huge object, and was sent flying backward, crashing heavily into the wall behind him!

"Pfft, pfft!"

The sound of crossbow bolts piercing flesh rang out incessantly.

The blood splattered inside the house instantly stained the ground red.

Without exception, all of the dozen or so men had a thick feathered arrow stuck in their bodies.
Some died on the spot, while others were still groaning softly.

Even though Xiong Junhao was nailed to the wall, he did not die immediately.
He wanted to shout to alert his colleagues and warn them of an enemy attack.

But all the strength in his body was focused on the wound.
He tried to speak, but there was no response!
Vision gradually blurred, and I could vaguely see three men wielding long swords rushing in and slashing without warning.

Before him, a long sword came straight at him.

Xiong Junhao felt as if his head had been split open, and then he lost consciousness and fell into darkness.

In less than twenty breaths, nearly eighty people in the six buildings were all dealt with.

The rooms were in complete disarray and filled with the stench of blood.

Qin Yuanfang served as the commander of this operation.

After inspecting the rooms in turn, he nodded in satisfaction and gave the order:
"All the bodies were collected and buried, and the houses were returned to their original locations."

"Yes!"

Many people rushed out of the darkness and began to work.

Hu Xiaowu then leisurely led Asir away from the scene.
As soon as he stepped outside, Asir hugged a big tree and vomited violently, almost bringing up bile.

The images of the mangled corpse, the brain matter flowing downwards, and the eyeballs hanging on the face flashed through my mind.

Asir felt his legs go weak and his stomach churn.

A hint of helplessness flashed in Hu Xiaowu's eyes; this was the drawback of recruiting manpower from the general public.
Without the baptism of battle, their psychological resilience is too poor.

However, he still stepped forward and gently patted Asir's back.
And he handed over the iced tea pitcher from his waist:

"Take it easy, go out and see more, you'll get used to it."

"Clean this place up before you leave, don't leave any traces."

Asir was too weak to answer.
He simply took the water bag, gulped it down, and then slumped down against the wall.

His mind was filled with nothing but corpses; he couldn't even try to distract himself.

Hu Xiaowu stood to the side and said calmly:
Everything has two sides, yin and yang; it's common for things to be prosperous on the outside but corrupt on the inside.

The same was true of Daning City; on the surface, it appeared prosperous.
But ambushes and assassinations are commonplace within the organization; you have to get used to it.

"Sir, didn't you say the storm had passed? Why is it still so bloody?"

It took Asir a while to finally ask the question.

Hu Xiaowu answered in a hoarse voice:

"It is precisely because of the fighting that the turmoil will end, and only then can something be accomplished."

First, you need the ability and strength to disrupt something; otherwise, you can't accomplish anything.

Think about this principle carefully when you get back.

Of all the people in this group, I value you the most. Don't let me down.

Asir felt a warmth in his heart and nodded repeatedly:

"My lord, I will not let you down."

"Well, I won't give you a reward this time. We'll talk about it next time you carry out a mission yourself."

Okay, clean up the mess, let's go back.

"Yes!" Asir nodded repeatedly.

The night passed in the blink of an eye, and dawn was just breaking.

All the houses in the northern part of the city had their doors wide open.

Many people couldn't wait to wash up and go to work in the workshop.

Yesterday, the government acquired the workshop and said that work would begin today, which made many people unable to sleep at night and filled with anxiety.

When they arrived at Xisha Street, where the workshops were gathered, early in the morning,
A long-lost sense of familiarity welled up in my heart.

At the street corner, various stalls are neatly arranged, offering a dazzling array of breakfast options.

The aroma is irresistible and makes one's appetite whetted.

But the first thing people see when they arrive is the workshops on Xisha Street.
At this moment, the gatekeepers are opening the workshop doors and removing the door panels.
Even worse, some people were seen carrying a basin of water and continuously splashing it outside the door.

Seeing this, the local people who had come here were relieved.

That's the feeling, just like when I go to work every day.

When they arrived at the workshop entrance, the new manager was already standing there with a smile.

Holding red envelopes, they handed them out one by one, saying something as they went.

"Wishing you good fortune on your first day of work, and may everyone work hard!"

Many people's eyes lit up when they saw the red envelope.
I feel that the people in charge of the government are different; they are so generous!

They also discovered that most of the managers of the workshops were now over forty years old.
He was very warm and friendly, and dressed very well.

He was nothing like the arrogant manager he used to be.

This gradually calmed the turbulent Xisha Street.
Li Xian stood not far away, watching the lively scene on Xisha Street, nodding frequently.

"Lord Wu, I've long heard of the efficient work of the Records Department, and seeing it for myself today, I can see that their reputation is well-deserved!"

In just half a day and a night, the workshop was arranged in an orderly manner.

Wu Su'an stood to the side, smiling modestly:
"Your Excellency misunderstands. The Bureau of Records has not yet dealt with matters concerning merchants."
The reason for this situation is that some of the officials had followed Lord Lu to run businesses in the capital and were very familiar with this system.

In fact, some of these managers were even employees of the Yingtian Trading Company.

Li Xian's face showed a look of sudden realization, and a flash of admiration crossed his eyes:

"No wonder, I knew the Military Commandery was in charge of military affairs."
"When did you become so adept at civil and commercial matters? So it turns out it's Lord Lu's own team."

Just then, a figure hurried over.
It was Zhang Bin, who had just been promoted to Vice Commander-in-Chief, and his face was extremely grim.

"Sir, please take a step to speak."

Li Xian was somewhat surprised, gave Wu Su'an an apologetic smile, and then walked to the side.

"Why are you in such a panic?"

Zhang Bin's expression was extremely grave, his brows furrowed.

"My lord, my men have disappeared."

(End of this chapter)