Chapter 147: Secret Warfare Between Song and Liao (Part 1)

Strictly speaking, there is no clearly defined border between the Song and Liao dynasties. Vast stretches of flat plains lack towering city walls as primary defense points against enemy attacks, and some small towns were not even established under official auspices from either side.

In short, the numerous small towns and villages scattered across the plains were merely the byproducts of prosperous bilateral trade. They were somewhat abnormal products, standing as a testament to the cowardice of the Great Song.

A carriage emerged from one such small town. Before it had traveled even five hundred paces, a dozen Liao cavalrymen galloped out, charging swiftly toward the carriage and surrounding it in the blink of an eye.

The driver cupped his fists toward the horsemen and said, "Respected lords, our carriage is laden only with furs and holds little ready cash. If you gentlemen would accept silver notes..."

"Don't try to dismiss us with your Song dynasty wastepaper! We don't want money either. Leave that little beauty in the carriage for us!" The leader of the cavalry actually spoke in fluent Song official dialect! It was not tainted with a Liao accent; the fellow was clearly a native of the Song!

A glance at the man's attire revealed that he had already adopted the persona of a Liao citizen. This suggested only one possible outcome: he had become a domestic servant to some wealthy Liao household and was leading these Liao men to masquerade as genuine soldiers for a robbery!

"Brother, since we were originally all fellow Song people, why make things so difficult? I have silver here; perhaps you could take it to satisfy your superiors?" With these words, he pulled a large ingot of silver from his tunic. The next instant, a flurry of ox-hair-thin needles shot forth from his other hand!

In a flash, those tiny needles struck the faces of the soldiers blocking the front of the carriage. The poison coating the tips took effect immediately, killing them instantly and sending them tumbling from their saddles.

"Hyah!" The driver cracked his whip, and the horse bolted forward with a roar.

Leaping agilely onto the roof of the carriage, the driver continuously hurled hidden weapons at the legs of the horses ridden by the pursuing Liao men. The Liao people—particularly those engaged in such illicit pursuits—derived eighty percent of their prowess from horseback. Deprived of their mounts, they dared not give chase any further.

Turning back toward the front of the carriage, the driver called out, "My Lady, we've shaken them off."

"Underground. Head straight to the rendezvous point," a young female voice replied from inside the carriage.

This incident was merely a minor interlude. Had it not been for the sudden message from above directing them to assemble at the stronghold, they would have disposed of those soldiers entirely. After all, they were no more genuine merchants than those soldiers were frontline troops of the Liao.

The carriage pulled into the entrance of an ordinary-looking grassland village and vanished shortly after passing through.

With the resurgence of spiritual energy, the effects of esoteric arts and formations had grown increasingly pronounced. This specific location had been meticulously fortified with formations combined with pre-constructed architecture to produce such an illusion.

Beneath this superficial village lay an underground fortress, a stronghold constructed long ago by the members of the Vulture Palace.

The carriage came to a prompt halt after entering, and the young woman dismounted. Many others dressed in similar attire were present; they were all maidens of the Vulture Palace.

"Are all of them gathered?" the leading woman inquired an hour later.

"Honored Master, the thirty-six sisters from the southeast have all arrived."

"Very good." The leading woman raised the token in her right hand as she spoke. "The Supreme Master has issued an order: we are to enter the second phase ahead of schedule. Your targeted objectives must be eliminated within ten days, after which we shall proceed to annihilate the Liao garrison stationed at Tula Town!"

"We strictly obey the Supreme Master's command!"

In Daming Prefecture, within the residence of Prefect Liang, an anxious Prefect Liang stared at the young woman before him. "Why are you not acting according to our previously agreed plan? Do you realize that the Liao have already sent envoys to lodge inquiries?!"

Li Qingmeng glanced at him sidelong. "Are you truly this cowardly? You must know that up to this point, not only have they failed to capture my people, but they haven't even found a single clue pointing toward the Song. We are not afraid, so what are you worrying about?" Observing Liang Zhongshuo's actions and the official reaction of the Song court, Li Qingmeng felt her contempt for him deepen.

"Hmph! You martial artists care nothing for the big picture!" Liang Zhongshuo dropped back into his seat. "Now they intend to sever our remaining trade routes. As long as they keep raiding, where am I supposed to collect taxes? When the border residents are plundered and the superiors above lay the blame, won't I be the one held responsible? Even if I dared to wipe out a couple of bands of Liao cavalry, once full-scale war breaks out between Song and Liao, the charge of arbitrarily instigating a war will cost me my life! People like you can just up and leave whenever you please, but I cannot run away!"

"Don't tell me you didn't witness the might of the military formation earlier. If you didn't even dare to fight under those conditions, are you really stationed at the border just to line your pockets?" Li Qingmeng said coldly. Previously, if Liang Zhongshuo believed that Song infantry formations held no advantage against Liao cavalry formations on the battlefield, the military formations Sun Meng had handed him through Li Qingmeng were more than enough to offset those advantages. If he still lacked the courage to fight after that, it was no longer a matter of being cautious; he was simply entirely devoid of spine!

"I..." Meeting Li Qingmeng's disdainful gaze, Liang Zhongshuo felt his self-esteem take a severe blow. Yet, she was inferior to him in neither martial prowess nor social standing, rendering him powerless to resort to haughty, bullying retorts based on rank!

"Aren't you truly afraid of war between the two nations and the devastation it will bring to the common people?" Liang Zhongshuo wore an expression of deep grievance and utter devotion to the populace.

"Are the common people living well right now?" Li Qingmeng sneered. "Let alone the fact that the Liao are merely merchants' guards bullying ordinary civilians, when they come to ravage the lands, do you ever lift a finger to stop them?" With a flick of her wrist, she sent a flurry of icy points piercing directly into Liang Zhongshuo's body.

"Remember, we are not those martial artists you hold in contempt. Furthermore, we hold enough dirt on you to wipe out your entire family. And this thing I just used is my newly improved Life-Death Pill; its effects are far more potent. So don't even think about playing behind our backs. Cooperate obediently with our operations, and perhaps in the end, you will still have a chance to earn merits." With that, Li Qingmeng tossed a slip of paper toward Liang Zhongshuo. "Write the order!"

"You intend to attack the Liao garrison?!" Liang Zhongshuo was stunned as he read the contents of the slip. He had not anticipated that they would actually go through with it, nor that they would act so swiftly!

Although it was merely a force of five hundred men, it included a full two hundred cavalrymen! For martial artists to confront an army in a direct clash meant certain death!

The next instant, a sensation of crawling numbness and intense itching surged through his entire body. Moreover, the feeling seemed to dart about uncontrollably, and no matter where he scratched, it offered no relief whatsoever!

"Ha—ha—ha—, you..." Liang Zhongshuo looked at Li Qingmeng, realizing this must be the improved version of the Life-Death Pill she had mentioned earlier.

"This is merely the most basic level. At its most potent, it can make you itch right down to your bones!" Li Qingmeng stated. "Issue the order!"

Nodding and daring not utter another word of protest, Liang Zhongshuo immediately drafted the military command. The martial artists under Li Qingmeng's banner would handle the initial surprise attack, while the troops under his command would spearhead the direct assault. Even if the higher-ups refused to recognize this military achievement, he would secure tangible benefits.

Should things truly fall apart, he could simply claim he had been placed under mind control!

Considering his father-in-law, his life should at least be spared!

Stroking the final stroke and pressing his official seal upon the document, Liang Zhongshuo handed it over. "Take it!"

Li Qingmeng soared out of Liang Zhongshuo's residence and swiftly returned to Sun Meng's side. "Everything is prepared. We can strike." Ever since the Vulture Palace gained control of Western Xia, its alignment with the Liao had ceased to be absolute. Compared to Western Xia, the Liao historically favored other nomadic tribes of the grasslands; consequently, during the Vulture Palace's rule over Western Xia, the Liao had subjected them to covert and overt hostility alike.

Li Qingmeng had previously considered employing martial arts methods to teach the Liao a lesson, but the Liao had concentrated their forces to thoroughly protect key figures and locations, leaving Li Qingmeng and her followers with nothing to show for their efforts. Attempting a direct assault on those critical sites and individuals would only result in heavy casualties.

Things were different now. Li Qingmeng believed that with Sun Meng assisting them, they could move freely even within the imperial capital of the Liao!

A day later, in Tula Town along the Liao border.

Members of the Vulture Palace who had covertly infiltrated the town led martial arts practitioners in launching surprise assaults and setting fires everywhere.

Upon discovering the situation, the Liao soldiers stationed in the barracks naturally prepared to assemble their forces and launch a counterattack. However, no sooner had they emerged from the camp than they were pinned to the ground by a downpour of arrows raining from the sky.

When the Song army finally arrived and gazed upon the sea of corpses, they could not help but shudder involuntarily.