Wang Yuan returned to his resting place and summoned Zhao Qing and Tan Ping and Ah Shui, the commander of the barbarian army, to give orders. According to the intelligence search done in advance, Wang Yuan put the location map of Lishan Palace on the ground and pointed out the location of Lishan Palace. Tell everyone that Lishan Palace is in the northwest direction, and to reach Lishan Palace, you must first cross the Xixiu Ridge and approach from the top of the hillside. However, because the defense situation near Lishan Palace is unknown, everyone needs to be cautious and not take it lightly.

After that, everyone quickly prepared for action, except for a dozen soldiers who were left to guard the horses, everyone took all the equipment and set out to move. As soon as they began to move through the mountains and forests, the barbarian guards led by Ah Shui immediately became like fish in water. The procession composed of barbarian guards to open the way spread out in a fan shape, and each of them was separated by more than a dozen zhang, forming a fan-shaped search surface of hundreds of zhang. Although they can't see each other, they use the sound of birdsong as a communication message, and everyone knows where the people around them are without having to look at them.

Moreover, they have lived among the mountains and forests for a long time, and their movements among the dense forests are extremely light and fast, and they wander like apes without showing a trace. It looks extremely relaxed. For Wang Yuan and the cavalry guards, they can't do the barbarians. Crossing the mountains and forests was no easy task for these heavily loaded guards. But there is one thing not to worry, after the brute soldiers check and search, the guards in the rear do not need to worry about encountering enemy soldiers, and they are much more relaxed and bold in their actions. The presence of the brutes made the guards a lot easier.

An hour later, Ah Shui emerged from the mountains and forests in front of him and told Wang Yuan that the peak of Xixiuling was not far ahead. They found that there was a building on the top of the mountain, so they came to ask Wang Yuan to show them. Wang Yuan hurriedly followed Ah Shui to the front. Through the gap between the trees, I found a tall beacon tower among the rocks on the top of the mountain. But it doesn't seem complete. It's not like there's a guard.

Gongsun Lan took the initiative to ask Ying to investigate, Wang Yuan agreed to her request, and Gongsun Lan rushed out of the mountain forest in a sturdy manner, and approached the beacon tower under the cover of the mountain rocks. Wang Yuan and the others waited with bated breath, preparing to rush out to support as soon as a battle broke out. But not long after, Gongsun Lan's figure appeared at the top of the broken beacon tower, waving towards the place where everyone was hiding, indicating that there was no trace of invincibility.

Wang Yuan and the others immediately appeared and came to the beacon tower. This beacon tower is all built of chaotic stones, large and small boulders are staggered, about two zhang high, more than 30 steps in circumference, it is like a small fortress. Many of them have collapsed, the stone steps that climb inside have also been damaged and collapsed, and the walls are overgrown with grass and thorns. The stones were also devoid of edges and corners, as if they had been polished by wind and rain.

"Erlang, come up, there are words here." Gongsun Lan, who was standing on the top, beckoned downward. Wang Yuan leapt up the ruined stone steps and came to the platform at the top. I felt that the mountain wind was blowing vigorously in my ears, and there was a hint of coldness. As far as the eye can see, the surrounding mountains are in full view, and the roads and houses leading to the outside in the valley below are clearly visible. This is the summit of Xixiuling, which is the highest peak of Lishan Mountain, so you can naturally have an unobstructed view.

"Look, it's like a poem." Gongsun Lan pointed to a piece of bluestone on the half-collapsed outer wall and whispered.

Wang Yuan took a closer look, and sure enough, the handwriting was faintly visible on the bluestone, and he read it while removing the mud and dust on it: "Good night palace...... Pipe...... Spring, gratuitous beacon fire...... Candle firmament. Wretched...... The Nations Run...... Bitterness, stop Bo...... Concubine Bao...... Have a laugh. ”

"Who wrote the poems?" Gongsun Lan asked.

Wang Yuan frowned and shook his head, and after reading the poem twice, he suddenly exclaimed: "This beacon tower was actually built by the Zhou Dynasty?" ”

"How so?"

"Although I don't know who wrote this poem, isn't this poem the story of the princes of the Beacon Theater? Look at this last sentence, stop Bo Concubine and laugh, isn't Concubine Bao just Bao Xi? So this beacon tower, could it be the place where the princes of King Zhou You's beacon fire drama are? Wang Yuan smacked his lips and said.

"Oh, that's true. It turns out that this is the place where the princes of the Zhou You King Beacon Fire Theater play, no wonder this beacon tower is so dilapidated, it turned out to be a monument one or two thousand years ago. Gongsun Lan also smacked her tongue and sighed.

Wang Yuan smiled and said: "That's it, we're not here to visit the secluded resort, let's go down, it's time to go down the mountain." Look, where the mountains and forests are hidden, is it Lishan Palace? ”

Gongsun Lan followed Wang Yuan's finger and looked down the hillside to the northwest, where several hidden palaces were revealed among the dense woods, which was where the Lishan Palace was located.

During the process of descending the mountain and approaching the Lishan Palace, everyone was extremely careful. As the sun set, the already dark woods were already out of sight. But fortunately, the barbarian guards have adapted to their actions in the dark mountains and forests, and with them in front of them, they will not bump around like headless flies.

After the sun had completely set, Wang Yuan and the others found a rocky open space on the mountainside. From this position, you can see the whole Lishan Palace, which is not far from the mountain below. Wang Yuan, Zhao Qing, Ah Shui and others crawled onto the side of a rock and looked down the hillside. In the twilight, the mountains and forests are hazy, but several palaces in the majestic Lishan Palace below can be seen clearly. Even when viewed from a high place, the majesty and momentum of the entire Lishan Palace have not diminished in the slightest.

On the side facing Wang Yuan and others, located under the steep cliff is the back garden of Lishan Palace, where the corridor is turned, the rockery is craggy, and there are many artificially excavated pools. The specific height of the courtyard wall is not visible from the height, but the width is clear at a glance. Because on the top of the wall, there were more than a dozen figures walking and patrolling the wall. This shows how wide the top of the wall is. In addition, the vegetation outside the wall was cut down to form a clearing several feet wide, and ditches were dug. Basically, the outer wall of Lishan Palace is like a small city wall.

In front of the back garden are two palaces, which are the main buildings in the Lishan Palace, the Lishan Hall and the Huaqing Palace. Surrounded by a whole bunch of outbuildings. There were a number of lit torches wandering around the halls and pavilions, apparently the soldiers and horses guarding the place. Further on, the northeast entrance of the palace was dotted with stars, because the distance was too far and the light was too dim, it was impossible to see whether it was a lamp or a torch, and it was not known whether it was a place to live or a barracks. "Great. There are guards everywhere, and it's not easy to get in. Zhao Qing whispered softly.

"Yes, there are cliffs and steep slopes ahead, and it's really not easy to sneak in without making a noise." Tan Ping also frowned.

The soldiers of the Shence Army are equipped with a lot of things, and the jingling bells are very cumbersome, but without these powerful equipment, they cannot guarantee smooth entry and exit. The general slope is fine, but when you encounter cliffs and steep slopes, it is in the black rumbling mountain forest, and the other party is still patrolling the fence, so it is difficult not to be discovered.

"Brother Ashui. It's up to you. Wang Yuan said in a low voice.

"Dashuai, you can rest assured." The captain of the barbarians, Ah Shui, replied in a deep voice.

Wang Yuan smiled slightly, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Go ahead." Be careful. I'd rather not do it than expose the tracks. ”

Ah Shui nodded solemnly, and looked at the retreat from the rocks into the mountains and forests. A moment later the chirping of the night birds sounded, the faint sound of Sisoka faded away, and the fifty brute soldiers disappeared into the forest.

Wang Yuan and the others lay on the rocks and tried their best to look down, Zhao Qing whispered in Wang Yuan's ear: "Dashuai, are they successful?" It would be better for our brothers to shoot the enemy with a repeater. ”

Wang Yuan said in a low voice: "Can you reach the top of the cliff without being noticed?" Even if you could, would you be able to shoot your opponent with a single hit? But if one of them doesn't die, he will immediately shout and expose his whereabouts, and the rest of the things will not be done, and we can only run for our lives. ”

Zhao Qing smacked his lips and said, "Then these people are okay?" The barbarian has such a great ability? ”

Wang Yuannunu said: "Look at it." ”

Everyone stared with bated breath at the steep slope of the cliff below, where there was no movement, not even the slightest trembling of the branches and leaves, and the slightest strange sound could be heard. Just as his eyes were sour, all of a sudden, there was a rumbling sound from the cliff, like the sound of gravel rolling down the steep slope of the cliff. The dozen or so soldiers patrolling the wall, who had been scattered all over the place, turned their heads in shock when they heard the movement, and ran towards the place where the falling rocks were falling with a loud shout. Even a few of your patrols in the garden were alarmed, and they questioned the soldiers at the top of the wall.

"It's over, these idiots, exposed." Zhao Qing gritted his teeth and scolded, and then he was about to get up.

"Rest easy." Wang Yuan shouted in a low voice.

Zhao Qing and Tan Ping had to climb down patiently and continue to look down. A dozen soldiers on the wall asked loudly as they gathered on the southeast side of the wall, looking in the direction of the sound of falling rocks. Someone had already begun to shoot arrows into the woods above the cliffs.

A strange cry sounded, followed by the sound of fluttering wings breaking through the air, and a black shadow fluttered out of the woods above the cliff, its heavy body falling straight down. One of the soldiers at the head of the wall bent his bow and shot an arrow, and with a single arrow it struck the object, which fluttered down and landed on the ground outside the wall.

"It turned out to be a wild pheasant. Scare the old boys. Lao Wang is good at archery, and he hit it with one arrow. The soldiers at the wall shouted.

"Damn, is it just a pheasant? Don't make such a fuss next time, okay? The old man fell down. The patrol soldiers running along the cloister within the walls cursed angrily.

"I'm sorry Captain Li, we don't want to do this either, the brothers are not for errands."

"Come on, don't be so surprised next time." Several torch processions in the cloister turned around.

Behind the rocks on the hillside, Zhao Qing and Tan Ping looked at all this in amazement, and asked in a low voice, "When did they catch a wild pheasant?" How come we don't know at all? ”

Wang Yuan spread his hands and shrugged his shoulders and whispered, "I don't know either, but I know that they are very clever in this way." If I'm not mistaken, they made a noise to attract a dozen of them to one place so that they could be killed at the same time. ”

On the wall below, a dozen soldiers began to use their spears to reach the still fluttering pheasant, a game they had to take care of. One man leaned on the wall and lowered the tip of his spear, trying to poke the pheasant. The rest of the people craned their necks to watch, but none of them realized that dozens of thin bamboo pipes were sticking out of the canopy above the cliff, facing their heads and faces.

The sound of the blowpipe firing was silent, and dozens of poisonous needles were silently shot at a dozen soldiers, and then, almost at the same moment, the dozen or so soldiers subconsciously reached out to cover their necks or the parts of their faces with poisoned needles, but their hands didn't even touch the pain, and their bodies were stiff.

"Puff puff." After being poisoned, the stiff bodies fell inside and outside the wall, and at the same time as the corpses landed, several clucking pheasants also rushed out of the woods and flew into the air, masking the sound of the corpses falling to the ground.

"Damn, are all the pheasants in this forest crazy tonight? How to flutter around. It's noisy. In a patrol team in the garden, Captain Li, who was in charge of guarding the back garden, snorted and scolded. Even if they turned back at this time, they could not see what was happening on the wall, not only because of the dim sky, but also because of the view obscured by the corridors and rockeries in the garden, and they could only hear the sound. So the dozen or so guards at the head of the wall were all finished, and they didn't know at all, so they just walked through by themselves.

Wang Yuan and the others on the rock above were shocked when they saw that in an instant, all the defenders on the wall had fallen. Not only were they able to kill enemies in an instant, but they also used a few pheasants to cover up the sound of these people falling to the wall, and the performance of these barbarian soldiers was amazing.

"I'm convinced, these barbarian soldiers are impressive, and they don't seem to be worse than our cavalry guards." Zhao Qing smacked his lips and said.

"That's not necessarily, each has its own strengths, although I admire them a lot, but our cavalry guards are no worse than them." Tan Ping also said.

Wang Yuan straightened up with a smile and said in a low voice: "Now is not the time to discuss this, now is the time to act." ”

Wang Yuan and the others quickly arrived at the steep slope of the cliff, and with an order, the guards took out the ropes they carried and tied them to the branches on the top of the cliff and began to descend. The barbarians didn't need ropes at all, and as soon as Ah Shui gave the order, they descended from the rock wall like apes, and they were extremely flexible. After everyone arrived outside the wall under the cliff, they used their crossbows to shoot hook ropes, and everyone quickly climbed over the high-speed wall and quietly sneaked into the back garden.

It was already dark, and there was a dark rumbling all around, except for the torches of the patrolling guards in the cloisters of the garden. This gives people a great space to move. It's dark and there are many trees in the rockery corridor in the back garden, which is an excellent shelter for stealth.

Everyone patiently lay in ambush behind the rockery corridor, waiting for the best time to shoot. Because of the size of the four patrols of nearly 100 people, and they are scattered, they cannot be shot in an instant, so they can only choose to eliminate them in a team. And when one of the teams is eliminated, they must be separated from the other three teams and out of sight. This requires a lot of patience.

Half an hour later, a patrol reached the end of the cloister in the southwest corner, just as they craned their necks to look up at the wall from the cloister. The silent poison ** shot out from the darkness, and more than 20 people fell to the ground in an instant, and the torches fell to the ground, and a large number of sparks were raised. The sound aroused the idea of another patrol not far away, who asked loudly what had happened, and received the answer that one of the guards had accidentally fallen.

Across the rockery corridor, the other party couldn't see the scene clearly, couldn't hear the words clearly, and didn't have that vigilance at all, so they actually asked casually, and they didn't really arouse the alarm. Soon after, more than two dozen brute guards swaggered out on patrol in the armor of the guards, and as they passed a team of guards, dozens of daggers slit the throats of their opponents almost simultaneously. This time there was no sound, not even the sound of falling to the ground, because the barbarians slowly put each other's corpses on the ground, and then dozens of figures came out of the darkness, stripped the corpse's armor and put it on.

The barbarian guards came without armor at all, and they were not used to wearing heavy armor, which would affect their movements. Although Wang Yuan persuaded them, Ah Shui and the others insisted on wearing only their special leather armor, and Wang Yuan had no choice but to give up. In fact, Wang Yuan also understood that for the barbarians, leather armor was obviously more practical, firstly, it would not affect their flexibility, and secondly, those leather armor had many pockets sewn up, containing poisonous needles and miasma sacs and other things, and they had long been accustomed to loading these things on different parts of their bodies, rather than carrying them in the leather bags behind them like the Shence Army. But at this time, Ah Shui agreed to Wang Yuan's suggestion that he could carry out a close-quarters assassination by using the opponent's armor as a disguise.

The remaining two guards were quickly dealt with in the same way, and although it took nearly an hour in total, the goal of being able to deal with the guards quietly was already achieved.

After solving the enemy in the back garden, Wang Yuan quickly gathered everyone and gave a few brief orders. Thirty guards and twenty brute soldiers were ordered to guard the entrance to the back garden, in case anyone entered the back garden and found corpses or anomalies. But when someone enters the back garden, they only enter and leave. Moreover, the back garden is also a passage for evacuation, and it is necessary to ensure that the passage is unobstructed in case of accidents.

Wang Yuan and the others figured out the back garden, and moved forward dozens of steps, bypassing a huge white marble screen, and in front of them was an open square. And a tall palace stood in front of it. Judging by the location, it is the Huaqing Palace.

However, in the open square leading to the Huaqing Palace, more than a dozen patrolling guards carrying lanterns and torches came and went, connecting the left side of the Huaqing Palace and some of the attached ones on both sides