Starting from the border troops, I've worked my way up to become a Martial Emperor.

Chapter 57 Escape and Kill

In the backyard of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, a few carrier pigeons flew off towards Youzhou and Yanzhou respectively.

Lu Yuan was unaware of all this; tonight, he, Wu Han, and Zhou He were drinking to their hearts' content.

By the time we rested, it was already late at night.

The three of them didn't wake up until noon the next day.

But there's no rush, the Sun family's smuggling team won't arrive until tomorrow.

It's not too late to go down the mountain after we've eaten. As long as we keep watch on their only route in advance, we can definitely catch them all in one fell swoop.

The food in the village wasn't very good. Lu Yuan and his men ate stewed meat, while the other bandits only had a little bit of oil in their bowls.

However, no one felt it was unfair; on the contrary, they ate with relish.

Only a handful of people were allowed to sit at the table and eat meat.

After glancing at them, Zhou He said to Wu Han, "You're too harsh on your subordinates."

"That's just how it is here. You can only eat as much as you can handle. They used to go hungry. If it weren't for me, they wouldn't even have anything to eat. And they're all a bunch of desperados. If you give them a friendly look, they'd probably all turn on you."

Wu Han gnawed on the bone, juice dripping from the corner of his mouth.

Zhou He nodded: "That's true. There's a hierarchy in the imperial court. Without rules, there can be no order."

Without further ado, he picked up the piece of meat and started eating.

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Wu Han gave an order, and two suits of armor were brought up. They were all black, but they were both half-body armor, and they were somewhat different from those of the Dayong and Northern Barbarians.

It's like a modification that combines the two.

Wu Han chuckled and said, "This is the famous Northern Frontier Bandit Armor. Just wear it. It's not as good as military armor, but it's better than nothing."

Having armor and not having armor are two different concepts.

It can be said that a warrior wearing fine armor could easily take on ten unarmored bandits.

"I'm not picky, anything will do." After putting on his armor, Lu Yuan casually picked up a crescent blade from the weapon rack.

Although the quality wasn't the best, it was still comparable to the standard weapons of ordinary soldiers.

Zhou He, standing to the side, also casually picked up a weapon.

Even their warhorses were left behind in the village.

After all, this is a big deal. We're not afraid of the Sun family alone, but the people behind them are troublesome. It's always good to be careful.

After making preparations, the group roared out of the village.

They didn't stop to rest until the very next morning, before the sun had even risen.

The entire woodland is located at a high elevation, with a road running below.

This forest is called Wild Boar Ridge, and it is the only mountain range in northern Xinjiang.

"Rest in place."

Lu Yuan glanced around. This place was most likely in the territory of the Helian family. The fact that the Sun family dared to pass through here meant they must have powerful connections. Otherwise, crossing the territories of two military families, especially transporting contraband, was something that not just anyone could do.

After all, the scouts who patrol the city every day are not just for show.

They not only fought against the northern barbarian scouts, but also had the responsibility of inspecting caravans.

The Sun family's group would naturally encounter them, which means that the people behind them are at least those that the Helian family and the Zhou family combined cannot afford to offend; otherwise, they would have been banned long ago.

After Zhou He found a place to sit down, he took out a piece of dried meat from his pocket and placed it in Lu Yuan's hand: "Eat some first."

Then, he took out a piece for himself and put it in his mouth.

He was really hungry.

Wu Han sat down next to the two men and said casually, "Just wait, they should be here by noon."

At that very moment, inside the Icefield Fortress, as dawn broke, Xiao Shi and her daughter led two horses toward the city gates.

They didn't take much; they even sold their house and bought two horses.

As soon as the city gates opened, they became the first people to leave the city.

After traveling some distance, Madam Xiao sat on her horse and looked at Xiao Hua, who kept turning back to look at her, and said, "Let's go. Let's set off now. We should meet our backup before dark."

The latter pursed her lips: "I didn't even have time to greet Brother Yuan."

Her eyes were glistening with tears as she spoke.

Because she also knew that this parting might not be the last time they would see each other.

Madam Xiao said, "A-Yuan is a good child. I promise you that you will have another chance to meet in the future. But right now, our most important task is to help your grandfather. He has just gone through a civil war, and the Northern Barbarians are going through the most difficult time."

Besides, since we're preparing to leave, our identities will be exposed sooner or later, so it's better not to contact him for the next few days to avoid implicating him.

"Once we've taken care of things, we'll send someone to find A-Yuan."

"Okay." Although Xiao Hua was reluctant, she nodded and ran forward with her mother.

It wasn't until most of the day after they left that this happened.

It was noon when a group of embroidered-robed messengers rushed into the city.

A moment later, the city gates closed, and squads of city guards surrounded Ice Valley Alley.

They were clearly there to capture Xiao Hua and her daughter.

However, it was destined to be a fruitless trip.

So when the city gates reopened, groups of a hundred men each, led by the embroidered-robed messengers, went out in pursuit.

These embroidered messengers led hunting dogs and had eagles perched on their arms.

They are specifically responsible for tracking.

If you look closely, you'll find that in each group, there are people dressed in black robes hidden among the crowd. They are the retainers of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, all of whom are top-notch experts.

The fact that such a lineup was dispatched clearly shows that the Embroidered Robe Envoy attaches great importance to this matter.

Given the limited time available, mobilizing these resources was already the limit.

At the same time, Lu Yuan and his men, who had been waiting all day, finally saw the Sun family's group arrive in the afternoon.

There were about fifty people in the group, and the leader was indeed the eldest son of the Sun family.

He was dressed in full armor, carrying a spiked club, and walked at the front of the procession, looking quite imposing.

Behind them were more than thirty vehicles, with guards standing on both sides.

Upon seeing this scene, Wu Han's eyes instantly turned bloodshot.

He gripped the Xuanhua axe tightly in his palm.

Seeing his reaction, Lu Yuan didn't say much, but simply had someone bring him a bow and arrows.

Then they focused their attention on the eldest son of the Sun family, who was walking at the front.

"call out!"

The arrow pierced the air and shot straight down. Although it was only using an iron-rimmed bow and not his own arrows, it still exerted tremendous destructive power. The eldest son of the Sun family heard the ominous wind coming.

He managed to dodge the fatal attack, but the arrow still pierced his shoulder with pinpoint accuracy.

"laugh!"

The sharp, armor-piercing arrow pierced through the armor, and blood spurted out.

The eldest son of the Sun family roared, "Enemy attack!"

Lu Yuan waved his hand and led his men down the slope.

Wu Han, wielding his battle axe, roared, "Leave no one alive!"

As soon as the sound rang out, he rushed toward the injured eldest son of the Sun family.

The neighing warhorses trampled the ground, kicking up clouds of dust.

The axe blade flashed with a cold light.

The eldest son of the Sun family, already severely injured and with his liver and gallbladder ruptured, was unable to withstand the attack in such a hasty manner.

"Bang!"

With a single blow, his weapon was knocked away, and then his head flew high into the air.

Thus, all three Sun brothers perished.