Under the sky

Chapter 299: Evil Knowledge and Prejudice

Horses advance next to each other.It's not yet midnight, and it's still a long time before dawn.Qiyang is a bit cold in January, especially since it rained heavily a few days ago.

When the fire is shining brightly above your head, under your feet or not far away, you will hear a slight "swish" sound. It is the sound of Lu Yi, the leader, waving his whip, reminding those behind that there is a Cangying sentry nearby. , be careful not to be discovered.

How many people have to die before we can find out the details of the other party?Moreover, the camp posts on both sides would change positions from time to time, and the information found on the previous trip may not be available on the next trip. However, the spy team must continue to investigate.

Gu Qingshang saw fire flashing in the distance again. They were patrolling scouts. He could not clearly see how many people were in a group. They were probably four to six people.

The horses did not follow the path along the cliff, but went up the mountain.This half of the mountain top has been occupied by Dian Cang. There must be camps and patrols along the ordinary mountain road. You have to go around the mountain to reach it. You have to go not only to high places, but also to deep places. It is winding and winding, and it is night. Road, travel speed is slow.

"Shi Xin, you take the lead next." Jiang Tonglu ordered.Shi Xin had to walk in front obediently, and Lu Yi fell to fourth place.

"The next step is the hillside. Be careful not to let the horse stumble." Shi Xin whispered.

They crossed the rugged gravel road, passed through the windy grove, and stepped through the small stream flowing out of the stone cracks.Shi Xin is a local and is very familiar with the mountain, which is why he joined the scout team.The scout team needs to be familiar with the terrain, understand maps, be alert, have good eyesight, be good at riding, and most importantly, be able to read and write, and be able to convey news through letters in times of crisis.And Lu Yi is not only familiar with the terrain, but also experienced and sharp. In many cases, he is even more alert than Jiang Tonglu. Only Liu Zeng... Why is this old ruffian in the team?

"Boss, we're almost at the cave. Do you want to take a break?" Shi Xin asked.

Jiang Tonglu didn't reply, seeming to be waiting for Gu Qingshang to speak.Gu Qingshang said: "Let's take a break."

Although we had only walked for more than an hour, the constant vigilance and groping in the darkness were really tiring.The horses in front stopped. Gu Qingshang got off the horse and groped for a place to tie the horse in the darkness.

Suddenly, there was a slight flicker of light. Gu Qingshang could vaguely identify a tree by relying on the dim light, and tied up the horse.Following the light, she saw a cave, about four to five feet deep and two to three feet wide. Shi Xin had lit a torch inside, sweeping away the suffocating darkness.

Gu Qingshang walked too hastily and almost fell down when she was slipped by some moss. She quickly steadied herself and asked, "Is it safe to light a fire here?"

"Sister Gu, don't worry, it's safe." Shi Xin said with a smile.

Gu Qingshang turned to Jiang Tonglu and asked, "How long will you rest?"

Jiang Tonglu said: "I can only stay for a quarter of an hour."

Seeing Jiang Tonglu's pale face, Gu Qingshang knew that this journey was indeed difficult, and asked with concern: "Are you okay?"

Jiang Tonglu replied: "I'm used to it." Then he said, "I'm watching the wind and horses outside. If you need anything, call me." After saying that, without waiting for Gu Qingshang's reply, she walked straight out of the cave.

Liu Zeng sneered and said: "For the last time, I have to pretend to the end. It's my fault that I have two extra ounces of flesh on my lower head. Otherwise, I would have been a squad leader long ago."

Gu Qingshang's expression changed greatly, she suppressed her anger and sat on the ground, saying: "Liu Zeng, Captain Jiang is leading the way. You disobey orders and complain a lot about your superiors. If you have any dissatisfaction, tell me."

Inspector Liu Zeng looked around his neck to confirm that Jiang Tonglu was not there, and then lowered his voice and said, "Junior sister Gu, let me tell you the truth, I can't believe this bitch."

Gu Qingshang said coldly: "Oh?"

Liu Zengdao: "She has good kung fu, I admit that. Of course she is in the fighting team if she is good at kung fu. But within two months of coming to Qiyang, she was promoted to squad leader. As soon as she was promoted to squad leader, she was transferred to the scout camp. I am an old bastard and don't mention it." , Hulu is capable and conscientious in his work. In the past few months, he risked his life several times in the dark and relied on his vigilance to save the lives of his brothers. Hey, he is still an ordinary disciple and still has to listen to her orders. Who can be convinced?"

Gu Qingshang said: "When the fighting team rushes forward to fight, it is also a matter of survival. She has made meritorious service and will be promoted naturally."

"Then tell me, since she is so good at kung fu, why would she be transferred to the scout camp for patrolling? Okay, she came to the scout camp for two months. In the first month, she was on patrol without any pain. Last month, she became a member of our team. After three spies, she knew the danger and immediately transferred to the grain camp. What happened to the situation where she became more stable with each change? "

Gu Qingshang said: "That's an order from above, it's not up to her."

Liu Zeng chuckled: "I believe this, but the disciples in the women's camp may not believe it. Who doesn't know that she, the team leader, came here with her legs spread? She sneaks out of the women's camp every night and takes turns following the leaders. The leader was caught sleeping while sleeping, if you don’t believe me, ask them.”

Gu Qingshang turned to look at Lu Yi, who looked embarrassed and said, "Captain Jiang is indeed very close to the head of the Wu Ben clan and the master of Panlong Fort."

Even Gu Qingshang had heard that the master of Panlong Castle, Wen Yu, had a good nature.

Shi Xin also said: "Someone saw Captain Jiang entering the camp of the head of the Wu Ben Sect at the beginning of the year, and he was promoted to squad leader two days later."

"The Lord of Wenbao was even funnier that night. She came to cause trouble at the ugly hour, pretending to be a night attack, and the gongs sounded loudly in the camp. She ran out of the main tent of Wenbao without even bothering to put on her clothes, but she suddenly showed up. "Liu Zeng said with a smile, "Finally, Master Wenbao has a lot of face. Deputy Lan suppressed his palm and only remembered the incident. It can be seen that there are more ugly people. I won't talk about the other times. It was not that he was discovered in the middle of the night. Entering someone else's tent means crawling out of someone else's tent in the middle of the night, Junior Sister Gu, why don't you tell me what's going on?"

Gu Qingshang was dubious. She had seen Jiang Tonglu's strong martial arts skills, her ability in doing things, and her example, and she had a certain liking for her. But this also explained why Jiang Tonglu was originally in the combat team, but only two months after arriving in the scout camp, she had to transfer to the food camp.Especially the incident involving Lord Wen, which was in full view of everyone, even Deputy Commander Lan ordered the punishment, which shows that it is true. If he was transferred to the grain camp to seek peace by dealing with several leading army leaders, it would be really shameful.

Gu Qingshang felt awkward and panicked, and waved her hand: "Okay, I understand. She is still the squad leader, and you must obey her orders even if it is the last time."

Liu Zengdao: "I'm reminding Junior Sister Gu that if you are really in danger, don't put too much hope in this bitch."

Gu Qingshang said sulkily: "I said I got it."

She didn't want to hear these annoying things anymore and asked Lu Yi: "What's next?"

Lu Yi spread out the map, pointed to a point and said: "Let's walk west in the dark for half an hour here..." Lu Yi pointed to a point on the mountain and said, "You can see the back of Diancangying Village at a glance. Let's turn back here. , you can return to the camp before dawn, and the mission is completed."

Jiang Tonglu came to the entrance of the cave and said, "Senior Sister Gu, it's time to set off."

Gu Qingshang responded and said to Lu Yi and the others: "We are on the same ship, we must trust each other and help each other, otherwise something will happen."

The group of people walked side by side again in the dark, still led by Shi Xin.Gu Qingshang was on full alert. After walking for about two-quarters of an hour, he saw another fire ahead. Shi Xin was the first to stop his horse.

Gu Qingshang was surprised and said: "Is he the patrol scout Dian Cang?"

Several people pulled their horses to the roadside to discuss, but they saw that although the fire was moving, it was not approaching, which made Gu Qingshang suspicious.

Just listen to Lu Yi say: "Oh no, it's not the spy team. A new camp post has been set up here, and this road is blocked."

Gu Qingshang asked: "Is there no other way around?"

Shi Xin shook his head: "Yes, but it's slow. It takes a long time to walk. I don't know which way has a camp sentry and which way doesn't. I'll probably go wrong."

Liu Zeng cursed: "Fuck! There are only a few fucking miles left, this trip is in vain!"

Gu Qingshang thought for a moment and said, "Let's raise the whistle."

Both Liu Zeng and Shi Xin were taken aback. Liu Zeng said in surprise: "Junior sister Gu wants to raise the whistle? This... will expose her traces!"

"We are only a few miles away from our destination. We will arrive soon after pulling out this sentry." Gu Qingshang said, "But someone needs to be on the sentry post."

The setting of the camp sentry is to set up a high platform at a strategic point, with a gong on the platform, and one or two people can stand and look down from a high place.No fire was lit on the outpost to avoid being shot by archers.There are lights around the high platform. The patrols wear whistles or gongs hanging on their waists, and carry lanterns and torches to patrol. The number of people varies from two to 30 depending on the importance of the post. If you encounter anything suspicious, go forward. When the gong is sounded, the sentry station will sound the gong to notify the surrounding area.

To raise the sentry post, the first thing to deal with is the disciples on the sentry post. This is the most difficult and dangerous step. You must first go near the sentry post in the dark and kill the disciples on the sentry post silently before being discovered. Then Kill the patrolling disciples below before they find out.

"There are all Dian Cang disciples around here." Liu Zeng said, "If you fail to raise the sentry, the enemy will come for you immediately. Even if you raise the sentry, you will still be discovered when the replacement comes."

Gu Qingshang said: "I know the severity."

Liu Zeng wanted to speak, but Jiang Tonglu said: "Senior Sister Gu has given the order and I am not discussing it with you."

Liu Zeng snorted: "You can be flattering."

Shi Xin hesitated: "Pull the whistle...I...I haven't tried it."

Gu Qingshang knew that this team had experience and flaws. Shi Xin was young and Liu Zeng was unyielding. No wonder he was still just an ordinary disciple at the age of 40.It is difficult to lead a new team, especially a team like this. She needs to set an example, so she said: "I will go and set up the sentry post, and you guys will act accordingly. Liu Zeng, follow Captain Jiang's orders."

Jiang Tonglu said: "Senior Sister Gu is not familiar with the terrain, so I'd better go."

Gu Qingshang was surprised that she took the initiative, but he also knew that she was a better candidate, so he had no choice but to agree.

Jiang Tonglu said: "Senior Sister Gu gave the orders, and Lu Yi assisted." After giving the instructions, he drove his horse into the darkness.

Gu Qingshang asked Lu Yi to lead the team, and the four of them sneaked close to the sentry post.As the patrol was going back and forth under the firelight, Gu Qingshang heard Shi Xin's heavy breathing and knew that he was nervous, so he comforted him: "It's like an ambush, just rush in and kill him."

Lu Yi said in a low voice: "Girls like tough men, cheer up and act like a man!"

After hearing this, Shi Xin cheered up.

There were exactly four sentries, guarding in groups of two at both ends of the road. Gu Qingshang assigned targets and asked Lu Yi and Liu Zeng to go around to the front. Then he raised his head and looked up high. If Jiang Tong was successful, he would wave a fire stick as a signal. If you fail, run away immediately.

Will it be successful?Gu Qingshang waited for a long time, her palms full of sweat.Shi Xin couldn't help panting, and she was mumbling something unknown, and she couldn't understand it.

Suddenly, he heard a scream of "ah", short but loud. Did Jiang Tonglu miss?Both guards looked up at the sentry tower. Gu Qingshang made a decisive decision: "Do it!" He rushed out with a lunge, threw the long sword in his hand, penetrated the chest of the sentry he was responsible for, and rushed forward, drew his sword and cut his throat.Turning his head, he saw Shi Xin's crossbow arrow piercing the shoulder of a guard sentry. When he fell and screamed, he ran out quickly, loaded the second arrow, stepped on his mouth with his left foot, and shot the crossbow arrow through his chest with his right hand. .

Where are the remaining two?Gu Qingshang didn't hear the sound of gongs or whistles, so he hurriedly picked up his sword and ran to the other side.Lu Yi was pressing on a sentry, covering his mouth with one hand and pressing his arm with the other to prevent him from beating the gong. Liu Zeng had already killed his opponent and helped Lu Yi stab the last sentry to death.

Jiang Tonglu jumped down from the sentry platform and met them. Seeing her pale face, Gu Qingshang hurriedly asked: "Are you injured?"

Liu Zeng stamped his feet and said: "Fuck, it made a noise! ​​It's dangerous here, hurry up!"

Jiang Tonglu said: "The sound is not loud, so it may not be discovered."

Liu Zeng scolded: "You are a bastard, you still show off your strength when you have no ability! Today is the last time, I can't bear to be angry with you anymore!"

Gu Qingshang shouted in a deep voice: "Liu Zeng, what did I say before?"

Jiang Tonglu asked: "Senior Sister Gu?"

Gu Qingshang knew that Jiang Tonglu wanted to make up his own mind, so he said: "Keep walking. At this point, we can't go in vain! There are only a few miles left. Let's rush there with lanterns and get back before we are discovered!"

At this time, everyone was not afraid of being exposed. They carried the lanterns of the sentry and rushed to the place where the horses were parked. Jiang Tong showed his horses parked elsewhere and went to lead the horses to join them.Gu Qingshang took advantage of her absence and said to Liu Zeng: "Old Liu, even if Captain Jiang got the position of sleeping with her legs spread, she is still more capable and courageous than you. Whether she accepts or not, she has to listen. She ordered that if you are dissatisfied, cut yourself off and shake your butt, and then let me listen to you contradicting your boss and I will not spare you!"

Liu Zeng did not dare to refute, so he could only say: "Yes."

"Lu Yi takes the lead, Shi Xin follows to guide the way, and Captain Jiang presses behind!" Gu Qingshang shouted in a low voice, "Quick!"

Everyone got on their horses and each held a lantern to urge the horse to go straight. With the light, the journey of several miles was completed in a short time.Everyone rushed to a steep slope. Gu Qingshang looked at Dian Cang camp from a distance. There were rows of firelights swaying behind the camp, approaching the camp. Each row of torches was about ten feet apart, and people were coming.

"Are those Dian Cang's reinforcements?" Gu Qingshang asked.

Jiang Tonglu said: "In the past few months, Dian Cang has often sent people to leave the camp, pretending to retreat, and then come back at night, making us confused about the truth."

This statement was the same as Lan Shengqing's. Gu Qingshang asked: "You haven't counted the number of people?"

Jiang Tonglu said: "A spy once ventured closer and calculated. Each torch was followed by ten people, forming a square formation. The number of people who came back was the same as those who left during the day. Although there was only a lot more smoke in the camp, it was estimated that the number of people was about the same. Click. Cang's thieves want to pretend to have more people and damage our military morale."

Shi Xin said anxiously: "Usually you'll go back when you get here. Senior Sister Gu?" The situation was getting more and more dangerous, and he was very uneasy.

Gu Qingshang said: "Wait for me here!" After saying that, he rode down the slope.

The hillside was about ten feet high and the slope was so steep that Gu Qingshang almost fell off his horse.After descending the steep slope, there was a piece of flat land. Gu Qingshang put out the lantern and ran towards the light. As her vision became clearer, she found that there seemed to be a gap between the lights.

what happened?Gu Qingshang's heart skipped a beat, abandoned the horse, used Qing Kung Fu to step forward, and lay down by the roadside to take a closer look.

It's empty!Those people were lined up with torches for lighting, and they were evenly spaced, but there were no disciples behind them. In other words, out of ten people who went out, only one came back!
As expected, the soldiers sent by Dian Cang in the afternoon did not return. The Qiyang camp was empty. Where had the people gone?
Gu Qingshang was surprised and happy. He was happy that the military information gained from this investigation was important, but he was surprised that Dian Cang had no idea what his plan was for withdrawing his troops.She determined her direction by the firelight of her companions on the slope and ran back. Just as she was about to light a lantern and ride her horse up the steep slope, she heard the sound of falling rocks and the faint sound of gongs in the distance. Jiang Tonglu and four others ran down the steep slope.

"Sister Gu, run away!" Jiang Tonglu shouted, "The enemy is coming!"

Liu Zeng couldn't help but yell: "Fuck! Fuck you!"

Gu Qingshang looked up and saw several spots of light appearing on the mountain. She did not light a lantern, so she could only turn her horse and gallop beside Lu Yi, saying loudly: "It's empty! There is no one in the team coming back. Qiyang is an empty village. Cang disciples have all retreated!"

"I'm sorry, Junior Sister Gu, I should have brought them here." Lu Yi said apologetically.

"What are you talking about?" After Gu Qingshang said this, he realized that Lu Yi's face was bloodless. When he lowered his head and looked down, the lantern shone on his left waist and his cotton-padded jacket was wet. It was blood!

"When I caught the patrolman, I was afraid that he would send a signal and get hit by mistake." Lu Yi said, "They followed the blood stains and came so fast."

Lu Yi shook his body and said: "The news is important, it must be sent back!"

Gu Qingshang asked: "What do you mean?"

Lu Yi shouted: "Lights out!"

Gu Qingshang didn't know his intention, so he looked back and saw that more than a dozen fires had been lit up behind him, and they were chasing him, but Lu Yi was the only one who still lit a lantern.She was taken aback, as if she knew what Lu Yi was planning to do.

"There is a forest on the right, go straight there! Junior Sister Gu gives the order, remember to stay close to Captain Jiang!" Lu Yi shouted, "Hurry up and give the order!"

"Go north, into the woods!" Gu Qingshang shouted, "Meet in the woods!"

Lu Yi lit a lantern and ran straight to the left. Gu Qingshang followed Jiang Tonglu and turned to the right. Shi Xin and Liu Zeng followed.When she looked back, she only saw dozens of flames chasing Lu Yi's direction. She knew that Lu Yi would definitely die, and felt uncomfortable in her heart, so she rode her horse and whipped her whip.

It was dark again, but unlike the steep mountain road, although it was rugged, it was flat ground after all.Entering the woods, according to the previous instructions, as long as the horse is not forced, the horse has night eyes and will not hit the tree or fall off the cliff, but it cannot run too fast. Gu Qingshang tried his best to stick to Jiang Tonglu's horse and listen to the direction of her horse's hooves.The four of them shouted and answered in a low voice from time to time, sometimes far and sometimes near, and kept walking until they reached a place where they couldn't see the fire, and then walked to a place where they heard the sound of water, and continued walking.

Gu Qingshang didn't know how long Lu Yi could hold on, but as long as the opponent entered the woods with a lantern, he would catch up immediately, so he had to go as far away as possible.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, Gu Qingshang noticed that Jiang Tonglu's horse seemed to be walking slower and slower, and its pace was a little messy, so he shouted in a low voice: "Captain Jiang?"

Jiang Tonglu didn't respond, and Gu Qingshang's heart suddenly jumped, and she raised her voice and shouted: "Captain Jiang!"

Jiang Tonglu moaned in a low voice: "Sister Gu..."

Gu Qingshang was startled and rode his horse to Jiang Tonglu's side. He stretched out his hand and felt Jiang Tonglu lying on the horse.

"I...can't do it anymore...why...it's so useless."

Gu Qingshang asked anxiously: "Are you injured?"

Jiang Tonglu didn't respond. She didn't know whether she was dead or unconscious. Gu Qingshang grabbed her horse, turned over and dismounted, and hugged her down in the dark. He felt that her hands and feet were cold and her pulse was weak, but he didn't know whether she was injured or something.

"What's wrong?" Shi Xin's voice came from the darkness.He tried his best to keep up with Jiang Tonglu, but they didn't lose him. They were indeed experienced spies.

"Let's take a break." Gu Qingshang said.

"We can't rest!" Liu Zeng said, "The dog's paws will catch up at any time! We have to wait until dawn, get out of the woods, and find a safe place!"

"Captain Jiang passed out!" Gu Qingshang said.

"Then throw her away!" Liu Zeng scolded angrily.

"I said take a break!" Gu Qingshang ordered.

Liu Zeng couldn't help cursing, and Shi Xin dismounted.Gu Qingshang carefully placed Jiang Tonglu on the ground, lit the fire, and used the weak firelight to let everyone determine the location and then extinguished it immediately.

The three of them sat together, Shi Xin sobbed softly, and Liu Zeng couldn't help cursing Jiang Tonglu, blaming her for dragging down the team.

Suddenly, Jiang Tonglu moaned softly, and Gu Qingshang said happily: "Captain Jiang is awake?"

Jiang Tonglu said angrily in a low voice: "Where is this? What happened to me today..."

Shi Xin whispered: "Mr. Liu, help Captain Jiang... feel the pulse."

Gu Qingshang said in surprise: "Lao Liu, can you tell me your pulse?"

Shi Xindao: "He knows some medical skills."

It turned out that this was the reason why the old scoundrel Liu Zeng stayed in the spy team. Gu Qingshang was angry that he knew medical skills but did not lend a helping hand, and said coldly: "Quickly check Captain Jiang's pulse."

Liu Zeng said yes, and Jiang Tonglu did not refuse.Liu Zeng said in surprise: "She's pregnant! Junior Sister Gu, she's pregnant!"

Gu Qingshang was startled, and Jiang Tonglu said in surprise: "What nonsense!"

Liu Zeng scolded angrily: "You are a legion, you are pregnant and you are dragging us down. Who do you want to kill?"

Gu Qingshang couldn't see clearly the expressions on everyone's face in the dark night, but he saw fire flashing in the distance.

She has always known that the dark night is dangerous, but she never knew that the light in the dark night is sometimes more dangerous than the dark night.

(End of this chapter)