Starting with a Wei Wu soldier

The crescent moon hung like a hook, its pale light barely illuminating the winding outline of Black Wind Ridge. The mountain wind whistled through the gaps in the forest, adding to the somber atmosphere of the night.

It's almost midnight.

At the edge of the dense forest, a force of men, like the Styx flowing in the night, silently assembled. Their armor absorbed the faint light, appearing completely black, with only the occasional cold glint of their weapons' blades. No one spoke; even their breathing was deliberately suppressed. Only the heart pounding fiercely within their chest, a drumbeat audible only to themselves, echoed in the silence.

Chen Xing stood at the front of the ranks, dressed in dark, close-fitting clothing over ordinary leather armor, not the conspicuous black armor. His gaze was calm as he slowly swept over the young men who would soon follow him into battle. Chen Wei and the main force of the Wei elite soldiers stood silently like seventy cast-iron statues, their killing intent restrained. Zhao Tiezhu, Wang Jian, Li Shu, and eight young refugees appeared somewhat tense, their faces pale in the moonlight, but their eyes burned with a resolute flame. The remaining Wei elite soldiers, led by a composed squad leader, had quietly disappeared into the dense forest on the other side of the road leading to the main gate.

"The time has come." Chen Xing's voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears. "Proceed according to plan, and take care."

Without further mobilization, everything was understood without words.

Chen Wei clasped his hands in a fist salute and gave a low shout: "First route, follow me!" Seventy Wei soldiers moved like ghosts, three to a group, pushing shield carts, carrying battering rams, or wielding flying bridges. Under the cover of the terrain and the night, they silently advanced towards the designated breakthrough point in the southeast corner. The heavy equipment seemed to lose its weight in their hands, and only a faint rustling sound could be heard as they moved, revealing their extremely high level of military skill.

Chen Xing watched them disappear into the darkness, then nodded slightly to Zhao Tiezhu.

Zhao Tiezhu took a deep breath, suppressing the tremor in his heart, and waved to the people behind him: "Second route, let's go!" He personally lifted the relatively lighter flying bridge with a strong young man, and Wang Jian, Li Shu, and others followed closely behind. Under the cover of the babbling brook, they stealthily made their way towards the north gate along the predetermined route. Their movements were slightly clumsy, but they carried a ruthless determination that was willing to risk their lives.

Chen Xing, accompanied by two bodyguards, quietly moved to a high point where he could see both the southeast corner and the north gate, hiding behind a giant rock. He held his breath and focused his senses to the limit, maximizing the perception of his "Ancient Martial Body," catching every strange sound brought by the wind, and keeping his eyes fixed on the outline of the warehouse in the distance, which looked even more sinister under the moonlight.

Time seemed to stretch out during the wait. Every breath felt like torture.

Inside the stockade, lights were scattered, with only the central building and a couple of other structures emitting faint glows, highlighting the deathly silence of the rest of the place. On the walls, the sentries stood like nails driven into place, only moving lazily after a long while. Everything was exactly as Chen Wei had scouted: lax and numb.

However, just when everything seemed to be quiet, a sudden change occurred!

"Whoosh—smack!"

A sharp whistle suddenly rang out from the southeast of the warehouse, followed by a whistling arrow piercing the night sky with a mournful tail sound!

We've been discovered?!

Chen Xing's heart sank, and his pupils suddenly contracted. He could clearly see that on the southeast corner of the wall, a sentry who had been dozing against the wall had somehow woken up. He seemed to have sensed the unusual movement in the darkness below and, in a panic, blew his whistle and fired a warning arrow!

"Enemy attack—! There's movement from the southeast!" A sleepy yet terrified roar echoed from the top of the wall.

In an instant, the once deathly silent warehouse exploded like an anthill thrown into boiling water! Voices, footsteps, clashing weapons, shouts... all mingled in chaos. Shadows darted across the walls, more torches were lit, and though the commotion remained, the slumbering fortress had finally been awakened!

Was the plan leaked? Or was it discovered by chance?

Chen Xing had no time to ponder the details; his mind raced. The assault plan had been exposed, the bandits were on guard, and trying to breach the wall silently was now virtually impossible! Should he immediately order a retreat to avoid a direct confrontation? Or…

His gaze was sharp as a knife, fixed on the southeast corner. He saw that Chen Wei's troops, instead of panicking and retreating after being exposed, had increased their speed! The shield carts were shoved against the base of the wall, and the massive battering ram was lifted by dozens of Wei soldiers with low roars, aimed at the damaged section of the wall!

They are carrying out their original plan! They are going to take on this fortified stronghold that has already been awakened!

Meanwhile, at the north gate, Zhao Tiezhu and his group paused slightly by the stream, clearly taken aback by the sudden turn of events, unsure whether to continue the infiltration plan or how to proceed.

In a flash, Chen Xing made a decision!

He suddenly emerged from behind the giant rock and sternly ordered one of his guards, "Order the reserve team to apply pressure towards the main gate, feigning a main attack to draw the enemy's attention!" He then told another guard, "Send the signal to the second team to proceed according to the original plan, accelerating their operation! Tell them that success or failure hinges on this; the more chaotic the situation inside the stronghold, the greater their chances!"

"Yes, sir!" Without hesitation, one of the guards nocked an arrow, bound it with oilcloth, lit it, and fired it fiercely towards the north gate! A faint flash of light traced a brief arc across the night sky. The other darted out like a cat, heading towards the reserve team.

Once the signal is given, there is no turning back!

Chen Xing took a deep breath and turned his gaze back to the treacherous warehouse. At this moment, a number of bandits had gathered on the stockade wall, and arrows began to be sparsely thrown down into the darkness below. Although most of them were indiscriminate, they still hindered the advance of the assault team.

"Chen Wei... it's up to you!" Chen Xing thought to himself, his hand involuntarily resting on the hilt of the sword at his waist.

As the night deepened, the killing intent intensified. Plans had changed, and the battle for control of Black Wind Ridge was destined to unfold in an even more brutal manner.